Swipe
by AnonymousDH
Summary: … to the right. What if it's a match? How an app can bring to people together and how a wedding could possibly torn two others apart, when the secret they've all tried to hide comes to light.
1. Chapter 1 - Swipe

**Just an idea that popped into my mind. Enjoy :)**

* * *

She had heard about the app, but never tried it. It didn't really feel natural to hear; she didn't feel the need to join. Not yet. But curious, that she was. She had heard all the stories, from her friends. Even Rachel had done it, before Mike…but currently it was her younger sister that was showing off. Almost every Friday she would get a message from Anne telling her about the guy she was going out with and they were all extremely handsome and interesting. She had wondered about the kind of men that she'd be able to see; but not enough to really tempt her. Not until the rehearsal dinner of her friends. She hadn't found the time or mind to find a date for the part. And for once she didn't mind, because she knew he didn't have a date as well. Or so she thought. She was sitting at the table with Jessica and Louis when he walked in. She spotted him instantly; black tuxedo's, bow tie, the brown hair and eyes and that smirk smile. She smiled at him, but he didn't seem to notice it. He turned around and extended his arm to this woman. She was in her mid-twenties, way too young for him, had long blonde hair, blue eyes and bright red dress. Donna swallowed; he had brought a date. And not just any date, a woman that made feel a bit insecure although she knew she looked just as good.

Later that night she thought about how pathetic she must have looked. Jessica had brought Jeff and even Louis had brought someone. She was the only one without a date that night. She thought about the girl Harvey had brought. Her name was Julie, she was a model. _Of course she was,_ but besides her looks there was seriously nothing interesting about her. She wondered what he saw in her, _maybe even what that girl had over her._ Her thoughts were interrupted by an WhatsApp from Anne; a picture of yet again a handsome guy with the caption 'Date Night – wish me luck'. Donna tried to smile at her phone, but she somehow she couldn't. Her sisters words 'you should create an account too, it's fun' went through her head as she opened the app store. The combination of too much alcohol, loneliness and a lack of better judgement were the reason she was staring at the profile of a guy named Dave five minutes later. She looked at his profile picture, and read the short description; wanting to see more about him she double tabbed and accidentally swiped to the right. _Ooh, no…what was that. What did I do,_ she thought when his profile disappeared. She was even more shocked when his picture returned on her screen with a small picture of her own profile; 'it's a match!' was the caption. _OOooh, Shit! This wasn't supposed to happen…_ Donna freaked and closed the app, but a couple of minutes later curiosity got the better of her and she grabbed her phone again. There were a lot of weird guys on there, but also some respectable looking ones. She chatted with a man named Nate for the rest of the evening.

* * *

Two days later she was at the office preparing some files for Harvey when she got a message from Nate; if she wanted to grab lunch in half an hour. She replied she would love to meet him, before she entered his office. 'Do you need me for anything or I'll be out for lunch,' she asked him.

'Uhm, no. But why don't you stay? We could order some lunch?' he countered putting up his Specter smile.

'Harvey.. we can't.'

'Why not? We've had lunch together before.'

'Actually, Harvey. I have a lunch date.'

Harvey took in her words and his smile disappeared slightly, 'Have fun, Donna.'

'Thanks,' she replied as she walked back to her cubicle to grab her purse.

The date with Nate had been horrible, but it could have been worse. He was actually the guy from the pictures, she had heard of her sisters stories that this wasn't always the case. But somehow the click they had on the phone just wasn't there in person. He was quiet and didn't really have an opinion about anything. When she thought back about their text conversations, she realised how coincidentally she had found it that he liked everything she liked; he had just agreed with every statement she had made. Although the date was going nowhere, she was too polite to walk away. So she stayed for the entire hour, secretly hoping she had asked Harvey to call after fifteen minutes so she could back out if she wanted to. Like she had done on more than one occasion for him. When she wanted to say goodbye he tried to kiss her, which made her channel her inner Donnaness. 'Okay, listen, Nate. You wear a suit that is two sizes too big, you're obviously not over your ex and you want to take another direction with your life, but you don't have the balls to go for it.'

Nate stared at her in shock; _how on earth did she know all this._

'Well, it's been… interesting,' Donna continued, 'let's not meet again,' she said as she turned around and walked away.

* * *

Back at the office Harvey questioned her about lunch, but the moment he had seen her face he knew all he needed to know. It had been horrible, and although he felt sorry for her he couldn't help but smile a little.

'Okay, so next time I'm going on a date you're most definitely calling after fifteen minutes to give me an out,' she demanded when she waltzed into his office.

'That bad?'

'Worse, your lunch with Louis was nothing compared to this.'

His face winced, 'where did you find the guy?'

'Tin.. Tina. Old friend from the theatre set us up,' she lied, _she wasn't about to confess she had gone on a tinder date._

'Let me guess, it was one of those quiet kind of guys?'

'Worse, a 'I'll just agree to whatever you have to say'.'

Their conversation was interrupted when Mike entered the office, 'Harvey, are you ready to go?'

Harvey looked up at his associate and back to his watch, 'Yes. Sorry Donna, have to go celebrate the last days of Mike as single man.'

Donna smiled at the men in front of her, 'Have fun guys!'

* * *

She walked towards Rachel's office. 'Hello, stranger! Ready for Happy Hour? You, me & Harvey's corporate card.'

'Ooh yeah, time to bring Harriet and Michelle out of retirement,' Rachel answered as she got up and walked towards Donna. The two of them went to their regular club and started the evening with some margaritas. After the third round of drinks and sending off random guys, Rachel noticed a change in Donna's mood. Like she wasn't enjoying the attention from all the men at the bar. She asked what was wrong and Donna told her that she felt embarrassed for showing up alone at the rehearsal dinner and that she'd been on this terrible lunch date that afternoon.

'Donna, I'm so sorry. We didn't know he had brought someone.'

'No, that's not it.'

Rachel gave her friend a questioning look, only because she knew Donna was staring at the drink in her hand and would notice. 'Don't give up just yet. You never know who'll you find. It might be the one.'

* * *

Donna threw herself on her bed; it had been a crazy night out with Rachel and the alcohol in her system made her open the app again. 15 Matches of whom four had started a conversation, but she didn't want to reply. She just wanted to look at what the app had to offer. _'You never know who'll you find.'_ She continued swiping to the left, when she found herself looking at a picture of Harvey. _'It might be the one.'_ Donna froze, _what to do, what to do?!_ She knew she shouldn't, she had made it clear she didn't want to; she had made the rule, but it was as if her fingers where leading a life on their own. She swallowed at the realisation she had just swiped his picture to the right.


	2. Chapter 2 - Five stages

**Thanks everyone for the reviews! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy :)**

* * *

The realisation of what she had just done, or better said her uncontrollable fingers had done came in five stages:

The first stage was panic. _OOoh, shit._ She could still see her fingers making the movement to the right and his picture along with them. _That did not just happen._ _I didn't, please tell me I didn't._ Out of instinct she moved her fingers to the left. _Please come back, please come back._ As if she could pull back his profile.

The second stage was denial. She stared at the next picture, of course she wasn't able to pull back his profile and undo what she had just done. _But was it really his profile?_ She tried to remember all the info shown, but her mind went blank. _Maybe it was just someone who looked like him. Yeah that must be it,_ she thought. _Harvey Specter does not have Tinder. He can't. A man who barely knows how to make a phone call does not have such an app. Yeah that makes sense; it can't be him,_ she concluded.

She turned herself on her back and stared at the ceiling; she sighed. The conclusion that it couldn't have been Harvey made her feel sad; the third stage. _Why doesn't he have tinder? Maybe this would have been the only chance for us._ She closed her eyes remembering the other time. _Why did he have to ask me to come work for him, why? What if I hadn't reinforced the rule? Would we have been together?_ She pictured herself in a relationship with Harvey, _they could have been married. Have children. Did I screw up by reinforcing the rule?_ A tear ran down her face when she realised he had agreed to the rule, to forget about what ever happened between them. Without a fight.

A beep from her phone woke her up from her thoughts. It was an email from the assistant of Mr. Raad; if she could set a meeting for later this week. She tried to remember who this client was when it hit her. Mr. Raad was one of the founders of Tinder and Harvey had been their lawyer since their start up in 2012. _Mr. Raad had been a client of Harvey, maybe he did have the app after all._ She thought about it and all of a sudden in made perfect sense. The company had been a client and of course he would have downloaded the app. _He had always joined the businesses of his clients; that's why he had his excessive car collection, all those Tom Ford suits and what not._ A smile appeared on her lips with the growing hope in her heart; _it was his account. It was. It must be. This is it._ She giggled at the thought that an app had to bring the two of them together.

She was tossing and turning in bed at the thought that now after ten years it was finally going to happen. That an app would made them admit that their relationship wasn't purely platonic; that there was something between them. She had swiped to right, _and so will Harvey._ She stared at the screen of her phone, but nothing had happened yet. _He will, he will,_ she thought. She turned around again, still staring at the screen. But there was nothing and this didn't change after five or ten minutes and even after half an hour nothing had happened. She thought about the other matches she had had; those matches had all been instant. Within seconds after she had swiped to the right or clicked the little green heart a pop up message had appeared telling her it had been a match. It wasn't like she had added tons of men; but the ones she had had turned into a match and now nothing had happened. _We're not a match._ She swallowed, _he hasn't added me. Of course he had not; it has been ten years. Why would it happen now? If he had wanted to it would have happened,_ she realised. She knew Harvey always got what he wanted and didn't want what he didn't get. And all of a sudden it was clear to her; he didn't want her. Not like that. She had reached the fifth stage, acceptance. _He doesn't want me._ She knew it would be hard, but she promised to herself to stop wanting him. To move on.

She had trouble falling asleep that night. Not because she was sad or depressed, but because she was preparing herself for the change. She wouldn't dress over provocatively anymore. She would of course still look amazing, but the occasional extra deep cleavage or extremely figure hugging dresses had to go. It's not that she wore them for him specifically, but there was always this little voice inside her head that said maybe, maybe if he sees you this way he'll finally realize what he's been missing out on. She also recalled all of their important conversations and she remembered how he had acted when Zoe had left him or how pissed he was when Dana tried to sue him again. Although he said he didn't do emotions, she could read him like a book and she hadn't seen those kind of emotions towards herself. _He doesn't think of me in that way._ She took a mental note to stop analysing him; from now on she'd do what he'd asked or tell her to do and she would do it without the witty remarks or the flirtatious looks. She closed her eyes smiling at her own thoughts, she was proud of herself. _She could do this, she could forget about him. Even after ten years._ _It would take every fibre of her being, but she could do it._

She woke up at the sound of her phone buzzing against the wooden nightstand. She slowly opened her eyes; it was still dark. She turned around to look at her alarm clock, it was five in the morning. _Who on earth could this be? At this hour?_ She reached for her phone and unlocked the screen. It was a notification from tinder: 'you've got a new match.' She sighed and hesitantly she opened the app. For the second time that night she found herself staring at a picture of Harvey. _Ooh, shit._


	3. Chapter 3 - Atlantic City

**WOW! Thanks for the reviews, love reading them. Here's the next part, enjoy :)**

Donna stared at the smirk smile she saw almost every day, she swallowed. _Shit, shit, shit. Now what?_ She didn't know what to do, usually she would always have an answer or witty remark ready. But not now; this was something else, something new. This was an unforeseen circumstance; something she'd always wanted of, but never allowed herself to hope of. They were entering new territories. She tapped the screen and the chat screen opened. She read the sentence: 'Get to know your match: ask about his favourite sport.' Donna chuckled, _baseball, but basketball was a close second. Although he practiced boxing,_ she thought, she knew everything. That she knew him, but she didn't know this. She didn't know that apparently he could look at her that way. And that made her nervous; she hoped he would take the first step. That he would start an conversation; even if it had to be through this app. So she waited and waited for him to make the first move, but nothing happened. Zero, nada. She kept staring at the screen until she eventually fell asleep.

.

An hour and a half later Donna woke up by the sound of her alarm. She sighed at the sight of her phone still in her hand, she sighed even harder when she saw there was still nothing and that she would have to go to work and face him there. _Work,_ she looked at her alarm clock, _shit, shit, shit!._ It was already eight in the morning which meant she was late. She quickly jumped out of bed and under the shower, got dressed and ran downstairs hailing a cab.

.

She looked at her reflection in the elevator mirror and if she had to be honest with herself she had had better days. She swiftly fixed her hair and added a tad of lip stick before the doors opened on the fiftieth floor, _show time._ Fiercely she stepped out of the elevator and walked towards her cubicle; she thought about the fact that for once he would be at the office before her. And of course it had to be today. She mentally prepped herself for the questions she might get; why she had been late? Norma had been the first to ask when she saw her at the general secretaries desk. She handled her, but she feared the questions form Harvey; and not the ones why she was late. No she feared the conversation about the other matter; the 'ooh look at that we both swiped to the right and neither of us did anything about it' – matter. Awkward would be the understatement of the year; century even maybe. But the one thing she didn't prepare for that morning was not seeing him. She stopped in front of her desk and looked through the glass at his desk. He wasn't there. She looked at his couch, his table, but he was nowhere to be seen. She looked around, but no one acted like something was up. She thought about walking over to Jessica's office to ask where he was, but reconsidered when she realised Jessica would ask her the same thing and challenge her why she didn't know; meaning she had to confess she was late that morning. Donna was about to turn around again when Louis walked up to her. "Oooh look at that; it's already nine thirty and the disgrace of a name partner still hasn't shown up. Where is he?"

Donna looked at him and realised Louis wouldn't be of help either, so Donna did what she usually did; she covered for him. "He's in a meeting, Louis. Geee, now go."

"Well, where's his protégé then?"

"What?" Donna snapped.

"Mike, I haven't seen him at the office yet."

"Ooh, so now you keep guard around the elevators. Louis, Harvey is at a meeting, which means Mike's there as well." After Louis had finally left, Donna slightly panicked. _Mike wasn't there as well, what the hell is going on?_ She walked over to Mike's office, to find it indeed empty so she continued towards Rachel's office, which was also empty. Donna grabbed her phone for the umpteenth time that morning, but neither Harvey or Mike had answered, but this time she was calling Rachel.

"Donna," Rachel whispered through her phone, "I'm in class. What's up?"

"They're not at the office."

"Who aren't at the office, Donna? What are you talking about?"

"Harvey and Mike, of course."

"Donna, relax."

"Relax?"

"They're probably still hungover. That's all. I have to go now."

Donna hung up and thought about it, it was Friday, why would they be hungover on a workday when it hit her. Mike's bachelor party from last night.

.

Donna knocked on his door, but when she didn't hear anything she decided to let herself in. She looked around the apartment, but there was no one to be seen. She even checked his bed and bathroom, but again nothing. She only saw the suit he was wearing the day before laying on his bed. She checked the pockets and when she found a flyer she called Ray to take her to Atlantic City.

.

Two and a half hours later Donna walked up to the reception area of the Borgata hotel; the best of the city and therefore the only place where he could have gone to.

"Has Mr. Specter checked out already?"

The girl behind the desk looked up to Donna and entered the information in the computer, "No, not yet."

"Could you tell me the room number?"

"The Piatto Room at the 41st floor, would you like me to place a call to the room?"

"A key would do."

"I'm sorry, Miss, but I cannot give out spare keys."

Donna leaned on the desk and looked at the girl; she noticed the baby bump underneath the girls shirt. "How far along are you?"

The girl looked at her bump and back to Donna; "Four and a half months."

"I… I…" she started, producing a single Demi Moore tear. "I'm pregnant as well. Just found out," Donna improvised and the girl let out a little squeal.

"Congrats."

"So my husband is here, for business and I just really want to surprise him. If you could help me, please."

 _._

 _And the Chapman Tripp award goes to …,_ Donna smirked when she stepped in the elevator with the key in her hands. She looked at her reflection, just like she had done that morning when she realised what had happened the night before. _Tinder-gate._ She walked up to the room and sighed; this time she would face Harvey and she had no idea where that would lead to. She opened the door and walked through the hallway straight to the first bed room. Without hesitation she stormed through the door, only to find the room empty. She was getting sick of this game, apparently every room she was looking for him was empty. She turned around and tried the room on the other side of the corridor. And again she stormed inside; "Harvey?!" she called out at the same time, but she got stopped in her tracks. Her eyes immediately spotted blonde in the queen size bed. The girl looked up to Donna, apparently still not really awake, but Donna recognized the face instantly. It was Julie, the girl he had brought to the rehearsal dinner. Donna's eyes lit up and she swallowed, stumbling while she took a couple of steps back. She didn't know why this would shock her, she knew what he was like, but she felt like she couldn't breathe anymore. She basically ran to the living room area of the suite, gasping for air, when she tripped over something and fell on the ground. She got up and turned around at the sound of something growling.

"What the hell, Mike!?" Donna screamed, shaking him around trying to wake him up.

Mike opened his eyes, but all he could see was a blur of red; immediately closing his eyes against the light. "Uuuh…no… head," he mumbled.

"Mike, wake up," Donna tried again, "You have to sit up," she continued as she tried pulling Mike up.

Harvey woke up feeling nauseous and with a headache like he never had before, but the voice he heard in the distance sounded very familiar to him. "Donna?," he mumbled.

Donna turned around to look at spotted Harvey nearly passed out on the other couch in the room. She placed Mike on the couch and rushed over to Harvey. "Are you alright?"

"Hmhm," he mumbled as he got up; placing his head in his hands.

.

Donna looked over her left shoulder at the sound of soft snores coming from the back seat of the car. She smiled at the sight of the two man fast asleep. "Thanks, Ray," she said as she looked at the road again. After they had dropped Mike off, Donna supported Harvey to his apartment. She placed him on his couch and got him a glass of water and some aspirins. She returned to the kitchen when Harvey went to get a shower. Harvey stared at the bathroom mirror; although he had just taken a shower, he still looked like shit; at least he was awake now and his headache was over. He walked back to the kitchen and placed himself on one of the barstools, looking at the redhead. After he had finished his omelette Donna had made him he thanked her for her help.

"What happened, Harvey?" she asked.

Harvey told her about the casino, which games they had played, how much money he had won and Mike had lost. The shows they had seen and the party they had attended.

"And next?" she asked.

"I can't remember," he replied.

Donna sighed and let her head hang down; of course he didn't remember. "Harvey, cut the bullshit amnesia act."

He looked at her, "what are you talking about?"

"How about the fact I have been wondering for the last ten hours if you're going to acknowledge what happened last night. But you're you, so of course you're not."

"Nothing happened," he replied when he thought about the blonde that had been in his bed.

"Check your phone."

"If I drunk dialled you, I'm sorry," Harvey replied with a smirk smile on his face; sincerely wondering what she was talking about.

"Really?" Donna replied, "I'm done with you pretending you don't look at me that way. I know you have Tinder, I know it's your account. If that was a mistake, fine! But don't lie about it. You know I swiped to the right, but so did you!"

 _Tinder._ Harvey let her words sink in, then he remembered what happened. "I didn't."


	4. Chapter 4 - All on red

**Thanks everyone for all the reviews! Just can't stop writing about these two. Here's Harvey's side to the story, hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

 ***24 hours ago***

Mike walked up to Harvey's office, but stopped just out of sight. He spotted Harvey and Donna talking about something; he heard laughter coming from the room, something he hadn't heard from either of them for a while and didn't think he would; not after Harvey had showed up with someone at their rehearsal dinner. Rachel and him both felt sorry for Donna; he was sure that they were finally growing towards each other, but apparently he was mistaken. He looked at his watch; it was already four in the afternoon. An hour after Harvey had said they would leave, but Harvey still hadn't shown up at his office, so Mike showed up at Harvey's. He entered the office, the sound of his feet on the floor made Donna and Harvey look up at him.

"Harvey, are you ready to go?" Mike asked.

Harvey looked up at his associate and back to his watch, "Yes. Sorry Donna, have to go celebrate the last days of Mike as single man."

"Have fun guys!" Mike heard Donna say as they left the room and walked towards the elevator.

"So I thought we could grab some drinks downtown," Mike started.

"Are you kidding me?" Harvey replied as he looked at the kid, "you're the one that's getting married. I am the best man, which means I get to decide what we do tonight."

Mike looked at Harvey, of course he knew that was how it worked, but he didn't think Harvey would have had the time to plan something, "Okay, so what are we doing?"

"It's a surprise, but first go home. Get your tux on and I'll pick you up in an hour."

"Alright," the younger lawyer replied as they got out of the elevator on the ground floor.

.

An hour later Mike heard a car honk in his street, he looked out the window and saw a stretch Hummer limousine with Harvey waiting outside. Mike's mouth fell open, _Holy shit._ He quickly fixed his bow tie and ran downstairs.

"Where the hell did you get this car?" he asked at Harvey who was looking way too pleased with himself.

"I know a guy," he replied as he opened the door for Mike.

Mike got in the car and placed himself on the long couch, Harvey placed himself next to Mike. Mike looked around, if the car wasn't impressive in itself, the sight in front of him sure was. He was surrounded by twelve models, all dressed to the nines and drinking champagne. Amongst them was the girl he had seen before at his rehearsal dinner, he couldn't remember her name. He thought about asking Harvey, not that he wouldn't have known, but before he could the girl moved towards him and offered him a glass of champagne. "Hi, I'm Julie. I was at your rehearsal dinner, congratulations."

Mike nodded at the girl and turned towards Harvey, "why are they here and where are we going?"

Harvey looked at the twelve girls in front of him; every single one of them was gorgeous, a smile appeared on his lips. "They just needed a ride to your mystery destination. Just grab a drink and relax, it will take a while before we are there."

.

Around seven the limousine pulled up at the entrance of the Borgata hotel and Harvey lowered the car window for Mike to see where they had arrived.

"We're in Atlantic City? Are you serious?!" the kid exclaimed, the excitement was all over his face.

"One does not joke about the casino," Harvey replied as he patted Mike on the back, "Let's go."

After Harvey had gotten the key to the Piatto Room, he took Mike to the restaurant of the hotel, "but first, let's get some food."

Mike enjoyed the steak in front of him. It was by far the best one he had ever had, even better than that one time he had lunch with Louis. He thought about Louis for a second, he was supposed to be there as well, but he had been ill since Tuesday, so they decided to go without him.

"Okay, so what's the plan for tonight?" Mike asked as they walked back to the lobby of the hotel.

"First, we're going to a show and then we'll hit the tables."

"Show?" Mike repeated and he saw Harvey's signature smirk appearing on the face of his best man, "Strippers?" he guessed, "Harvey, I can't. Rachel said no strippers."

"Really?" Harvey asked and Mike just nodded slightly disappointed. "You do realise Donna is organizing Rachel's bachelorette party?"

"Yeah, so," the kid continued, not sure what Harvey meant with that last remark.

"Let's just say that over the years Donna has organized a lot of those parties and if there's one thing I'm sure of that will be present –"

Mike raised his eyebrows, "Donna?"

Harvey just laughed and thought about the time she had asked for the afternoon of and took Rachel with her; they had gone to the ladies night premiere of Magic Mike. "I'm sure," he said.

.

Once the show was finished they continued to the casino. Mike was pretty sure Harvey had enjoyed the show more than he had himself, he felt awkward to say the least, but he didn't think Harvey Specter to be the kind of man to just sit back and watch. And normally Harvey wasn't, but the girl on stage had to be a redhead and all he could see or think about was Donna. He had stared at his drink the entire show, hoping for it to be over and when it was he basically sprinted out the room towards the casino. They played Texas Hold Em and Blackjack for the first part of the evening. Harvey only won, Mike however had lost a month worth of rent but Harvey had offered to cover all Mike's losses. With the last hand Harvey went all in and the other players folded not knowing Harvey was just bluffing. They hit the roulette table before they continued to the club; Mike wanted to place his chip on the six, but Harvey had told Mike to always go for red. Mike wondered if that had anything to do with Donna. At the club they were once again joined by the twelve girls Mike had seen in the car; that Julie girl being all over Harvey, but he didn't want to ruin Mike's night and continued talking to him until they realised it was four thirty in the morning. They figured it was too late to go back to Manhattan now and decided to stay at the Piatto Room Harvey had booked as a precaution. Mike, Harvey and Julie took the elevator to the 41st floor. Mike looked at the other two; Julie was leaning against Harvey, placing kisses on his cheek as they entered the suite. Julie was undoing Harvey's tie as she walked backwards to the second bedroom down the hallway. Mike tried to ignore them and searched for his phone as he continued towards the living room area. Mike sighed as he realised the battery of his phone was dead. "Hey, Harvey can I borrow you're phone for a second. I want to text Rachel that I'm still in Atlantic City," he shouted to the older man.

Harvey looked up at the sound of Mike's voice and removed himself from Julie's arms. "Just wait here," he said as he pushed the girl on the bed. "I'll be back," he whispered in her ear before he turned around and joined Mike in the living room. He reached for his phone in the pocket of his jacket and handed it to Mike, "here you go," he said as he already walked back to the room. Only to find Julie already asleep on the bed. He sighed, but somehow he didn't even mind she was asleep. He felt like a weight had been lifted of his shoulders; regretting he had taken her to the rehearsal dinner in the first place. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he walked back to the living room.

Mike raised his eyebrows when he saw Harvey returning just seconds after he had gotten his phone.

"She's asleep," Harvey replied as he poured both of them a glass of scotch and placed himself on the couch facing the one Mike was laying on.

Mike looked at Harvey's phone in his hand, he was about to text Rachel when he saw the app. He chuckled, surprised Harvey would have such an app. "What's the deal with that girl anyway?"

"Nothing," Harvey replied.

"Nothing?" Mike repeated, "Then why did you bring her to the rehearsal dinner?" he asked as he opened the app.

"Honestly, I don't know."

Mike just crooked his head signalling Harvey to continue with his explanation.

"Okay, so it was kind of part of this deal. She works here at the casino and she said she would plan the best bachelor party, all I had to do was take her out."

"But why the rehearsal dinner?" Mike asked, "You could have just gone to a bar?"

"I don't know. I guess I didn't want to show up alone."

"So she wasn't one of your tinder dates," Mike joked as he switched to the page that showed the overview of matches.

"What?" Harvey mumbled, "I don't use that app."

And he was telling the truth, Mike didn't see any matches, so he went back to the opening screen. "Why not?"

"Because, believe it or not, I actually want more than that."

Mike nodded as he went through the pictures, swiping to the left. "Okay, so what kind of woman are you looking for?"

"Really, Mike?"

"What?!"

"Okay fine, I want someone that knows me, understands me. Someone that realizes how important my work is for me."

"Uhu, and .."

"Someone that doesn't hold back, someone that pushes back, someone I can laugh with."

Mike smiled at Harvey's description of his perfect woman and his smile grew bigger when he looked at the picture on the screen in front of him. "Someone with red hair and five inch heals?" he asked.

Harvey got up and looked at Mike, "Huh, what?"

"Ooh, come on! You're basically describing Donna!"

Harvey took in Mikes words and realised he was, he had been describing Donna. The change in his facial expression did not go unnoticed to Mike, making him smile even more. "Why not?"

"Why not what?"

"Do I have to spell everything out for you," Mike nagged, "why aren't the two of you together?"

"We slept together once," Harvey confessed, "but it was ten years ago."

"I know," Mike replied, "Rachel told me when she heard it from Donna," he added.

"Donna told Rachel?" Harvey asked, he was confused, she had ordered him to never mention it again, Mike nodded to confirm. "But she made me promise I'd put it out of my mind, to never mention it again, because she didn't want both. She had that rule," Harvey mumbled to himself as he was recalling 'the other time' and the conversation they had in the restaurant afterwards. Mike listened to Harvey mumbling, he took in his words and realised Rachel and him were right after all, "so you wanted both?"

"I guess," Harvey heard himself confess.

"Do you still want both?" Mike asked, trying to hold back his smile.

"It doesn't matter what I want, Donna doesn't want that," he replied.

"I'm not so sure about that!" Mike basically screamed out as he turned the screen around and showed Harvey what he had been staring at for the past minute. Harvey looked at the screen and swallowed when he saw his own profile picture next to the one of Donna.

"Give me that!" he exclaimed as he reached for his phone and when Mike finally gave it to him, he was just able to read the caption 'it's a match', before the battery of his phone also died. Harvey sighed as he let himself fall back on the couch with the dead phone is his hand; his mind still focussed on the selfie of Donna with her hair loose framing her face and bright red lips as she had smiled at the camera; that smile that could make his day.


	5. Chapter 5 - Rachel's Plan

**Thanks for the reviews and follows! Here's the next chapter; enjoy :)**

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Mike stumbled towards his bedroom and let himself fall down on the duvet besides Rachel, who was laying there reading a book for law school. He crawled up against her and placed a kiss on her cheek. Rachel closed her book and placed it on her night stand before she turned around to face Mike, "Hi, how was your bachelor party?" Mike, still too tired and hungover from the adventures of last night mumbled that he had an awesome time. Rachel smiled, glad that Harvey had taken his task as best man seriously.

"I've had a great evening with Donna as well; we brought Harriet and –"

When Mike heard his fiancée mention Donna he remembered what happened in the middle of the night and all of a sudden he started laughing and repeatedly called out Donna's name. Rachel gave him a questioning look; "what's so funny about Donna?" she asked, feeling protective of her friend.

"Do you remember that conversation we had after the rehearsal dinner?" Mike asked.

Rachel thought about how sorry they both had felt for Donna; how she had been there all by herself while Harvey had brought a girl that had to be even younger then both of them,. She nodded, "what happened?" she asked again, now sitting up in bed; curious and excited about what she assumed to hear.

Mike got up as well and leaned against the headboard; he told her about his night and how that Julie girl was there as well.

"She was there? Harvey brought her along?"

"Uhu, apparently she worked at the casino; that's how he managed to arrange all this."

"And what else?" Rachel pushed.

"Nothing actually, well at first the girl was all over him, but Harvey didn't pay any attention to her. Not until she came back to the room –"

"He did what," Rachel interrupted.

"But she fell asleep before anything happened, that might have been my fault."

"Good boy," Rachel joked, "what did you do?"

"All I did was ask if I could borrow his phone to text you; she fell asleep in the time that he walked over to the living room."

"Ha," Rachel laughed, _just what he deserves,_ " but, I never got a text from you or Harvey's phone."

"Yeah, just let me continue… you're never going to believe it. Harvey actually admitted he regretted bringing Julie to the dinner and that he actually wants a real relationship."

"Harvey wants a relationship?" Rachel repeated surprised.

"Yeah and not just with anyone –"

"What, what! Mike start telling now," Rachel demanded.

"Okay, so he starts describing his perfect woman and well it was basically a description of Donna."

"No way! OMG!"

"That's not even the best part," Mike exclaimed, "he even said he would have wanted to be in a relationship with her this entire time!"

"Holy shit! This is epic," Rachel yelled, holding herself back from doing a happy dance. She looked at Mike again, "wait.. the two of you were drunk last night and you're still hammered. What if he wakes up and doesn't remember a thing about what he had said to you? There's no way he has or will tell Donna this."

Mike sighed and nodded, "You're right, he probably hasn't told her or will ever tell her; but I'm sure neither of them can ignore their feelings about each other. Not anymore."

"What do you mean? How on earth can you be sure of that?"

Mike started laughing again, "as I said, the best is yet to come. So we had this entire conversation while I was about to text you –"

"Yeah, you didn't."

"That's because I got distracted; you see, he had the tinder app on his phone. And I might have opened it and during Harvey's confession I came across Donna's profile," Mike continued, Rachel eyes and excitement getting bigger by the minute. "And I might have swiped to the right –"

"OMG! OMG! Mike," Rachel screamed out as she leaned towards him and gave him a kiss, "what happened?"

"Immediately after that the screen changed to the 'it's a match' screen," Mike concluded with a big smile on his face.

"WOW," she exclaimed as she gave him a hug and kissed him again, "you're a hero."

Mike smiled, "I'm superman," he replied, pleased about himself.

"Okay, don't overdo it."

"Batman? Robin?" he continued and Rachel started laughing, "no, you're cupid."

"Cupid is not a hero."

"Well you acted as cupid and you're my hero," Rachel concluded giving him a kiss again, "I love you."

He placed a kiss on her forehead and mumbled "I love you too," before he dazed off in a sleep.

.

Rachel rolled of the bed, grabbing her book as she walked to the living room. She turned around in the door way and looked at Mike now sound asleep, before she continued to the couch. Ten minutes later she's reading the same passage form 'Eve was framed' for the umpteenth time that day. She knows the deadline for her paper on the book by Kennedy is due in a week, but her mind is wandering off to the story Mike had told her just before. She smiled, happy for her best friend, but at the same time she wondered if Donna will ever get to hear the same story that Mike had just shared. She knows how Harvey doesn't talk about his feelings, and she knows how stubborn Harvey and Donna for that matter can be about admitting things to each other. She remembers what Donna had told her went she stayed at her friends place; how Donna had lied about her relationship with Harvey. That something had happened; even though it had been ten years ago. For Rachel it was purely a confirmation of what she already knew or assumed; that the relationship between her boss and her friend wasn't purely platonic. She knew Donna had wanted to have a relationship back then and although she had never asked her if that was still the case, Rachel knew it had to be. She had seen it in her eyes the time Donna confessed it, at the rehearsal dinner and again last night. When she had apologized to Donna for not knowing Harvey had brought someone to the dinner. Donna might have pretended that she didn't care or that it did nothing to her, but Rachel knew better than that. Over the years she had known Donna she had also learned her tells, and especially this particular one. Donna would avoid your eyes and focus on something in the near distance; her eyes and voice would change to an all serious tone and most of the time, Donna would either stare at or play with the drink in her hands. And then she would change the subject. Rachel sighed.

"Hey, why are you looking so sad?" Mike asked as he walked towards the living room.

Rachel woke up from her thoughts and looked at her soon to be husband, "I was thinking about Donna and Harvey."

"And.. everything will be al right."

"Really? You know how they are, odds are they both ignore or lie about what has happened. Leaving both of them miserable."

Mike let himself fall down on the couch next to her, "you're right. But there isn't anything we can do, is there?"

Rachel turned her head towards Mike, a big smile appearing on her face, "Mike you're brilliant!"

He raised his eyebrows, not sure what he had said or done to provoke this reaction, "I know … so why am I brilliant again."

"We have to set them up!"


	6. Chapter 6 - Lakeview

**Thanks for the reviews and follows! Love reading your reviews, true motivation to keep writing. We'll see more of Rachel and Mike from now on; cause yeah (sometimes) Harvey and Donna are clueless and need help from their best friends. Enjoy :)**

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Donna took a step back, her heart and hopes falling to a thousand pieces. "Fine Harvey, if that's what you're going with," she replied as she turned around and walked towards his door. "Just forget I said anything," she ordered before she stormed out of the door, trying to fight the tears that were forming in her eyes.

.

"Set them up?" Mike asked, "How on earth are we going to do that?"

Rachel smiled at him, but she knew he was right. How on earth were they going to do this without either of their friends finding out. "Maybe we could turn it into a blind date kind of thing?"

"Okay, so we just tell them to go to some place and then what."

"Nah, it needs to be better than that. What if I were to go to dinner with Donna and you were to go to dinner with Harvey at the same restaurant –"

"Yeah, that sounds good, but we can't really be there, can we."

"No, we can't. How about I make a reservation for seven and I tell Donna to meet me there. I call five minutes later that I'm running late and will be there as soon as possible. And you tell Harvey to meet you at the restaurant at seven fifteen. So when he shows ups, he'll ask for the table Mr. Ross is sitting and the waiter, which we've already bribed, will guide him towards Donna's table."

"Okay and then I call or text to cancel on Harvey?" Mike asked.

Rachel nodded and gave him another kiss, "this is going to be so good."

"You're not trying to steel my cupid title, are you?" Mike managed to ask between kisses.

Rachel laughed, "oh please, surely I'm wonder woman."

"Wait why have Harvey show up after Donna?"

"Because if they arrive at the same time, they'll immediately know what's up and it wouldn't surprise me if Donna turned around or managed to find another table if she saw Harvey sitting there already."

"You are sure she wants this, right?"

"100%, but we just can't take any risks."

.

Mike woke up the next morning and saw Rachel still asleep but with a big grin on her face, he pulled her in for a hug. "Good morning, beautiful. Time to wake up," he whispered in her ear.

Rachel moaned and smiled, "hi."

"Were you dreaming about me? You looked so happy," Mike asked.

"Actually I was dreaming about Harvey –"

"you what?"

"and Donna! Harvey and Donna … getting married."

"Ooh," he sighed as he kissed her, "that's alright. So what's the plan for tonight?"

"First, let me talk to Donna, alright. If that's all planned out, I'll let you know and you can talk to Harvey."

.

Rachel walked past Donna's cubicle, only to find it empty. She looked to the right, but all she saw was Harvey at his desk. She quickly looked around, even passed Louis' office and the restrooms, but Donna wasn't there. That's when it hit her, it was Donna's day off. _Okay, so this day wasn't exactly going as planned._ She would have asked Donna to join her for lunch, maybe even bribed her with a skim milk latte with whipped cream and sugar and then asked her to join for dinner later that night. A phone call would have to do for now, she thought as she dialled the number of her best friend.

.

"Rach, what's up?"

"Nothing, nothing is up. I just wanted to ask you something," Rachel replied.

"Rach, if you're calling for Harvey asking me to come back to the firm on my one day off, I'm going to hang up."

"No!" Rachel exclaimed, "No, I'm definitely not calling for Harvey. I uh … I uh … I wanted to ask if you could join me for dinner tonight; as a thank you for everything you've been doing to help Mike and I prepare for the wedding."

"Ooh, sweetie, I'm sorry. I would love to, but I uh… I actually have a date tonight. I could do tomorrow though; if that's okay for you?"

"A date?" Rachel repeated, trying not to sound too surprised. "Tell me," she continued, hoping to hear her work was for nothing and that Harvey had already asked her out.

"I'll tell you everything, once there's something to tell about," Donna answered cryptically.

"Okay, so do I know him?" Rachel asked as she thought about Harvey.

"Honey, I barely know the guy. This will be the first time I'll see him."

 _Shit!_ "Okay, uhm… cool. So, yeah tomorrow would be fine," Rachel answered, trying not to sound too disappointed or worried.

"Sounds good."

"How about seven? And I was thinking of going to that diner place you once told me about? Just a fun, casual dinner for the two of us. We could meet there."

Donna leaned back in her couch, _there was only one place Rachel could be referring to._ "You mean Lakeview?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Is that okay?"

Donna shook her head, she just knew her friend was up to something and right now she did not like the sound of it, but she agreed to it anyway.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow," Rachel concluded, hoping to end the call soon now that Donna had agreed to meet.

"Ooh, Rach. Wait just a second," Donna objected just in time.

"Uh.. sure, what's up?" Rachel asked curious as to where this would go to; if Donna would already know what the plan had been all along.

"I'm just going over the final things for your wedding; and you know the slide show thing in the end. I just wanted to add some extra stuff.."

"Okay," Rachel answered relieved, "so what were you thinking about?"

"Ooh just some things to compare the two of you, like favourite food?"

"Sushi of course."

"Of course, and Mike's? Steak right?"

"Steak, definitely. Something normal he would say," Rachel answered laughing as she thought about how she had helped him pick out the foot for his associate dinner.

"Awesome, family pets?"

"I used to have a bunny, her name was Minnie. After Minnie Mouse of course; and I believe Mike's grammie used to have a cat, but I don't know the name."

"No problem. I'll ask him. So favourite childhood movie?"

"Uhm… Mike's probably Batman & Robin."

"Al right, and yours?"

"The parent trap," Rachel answered before she realised what Donna had just made her say. _Shit._

Donna smiled sadly, _she knew it, she just knew it._ "Rach, just stop okay."

"What?"

"The diner, let's meet there? I know what you're doing and please don't," Donna continued letting out a sigh.

"Why?" Rachel asked curious, "Mike told me about tinder," she continued, thinking it was better to confess that she knew what had happened.

Donna sighed, "Please, Rachel. It's not what it seems. Just forget about it," she said before she hung up.

.

Rachel stared at her phone, _Damn Donna for knowing what she was up to…but this could only mean that something had gone horribly wrong; that one of them, okay probably Harvey, didn't tell the truth._

"What did you do?" Rachel demanded as she stormed into Harvey's office.

Harvey looked up at his associate _._ "Rachel, go. Not now," he ordered angrily as he pointed at the door.

But Rachel didn't leave in fact she marched up to his desk; "No, I don't know what you said to her, but you screwed up big," she said firmly; it felt awkward saying this to her boss, but she did it for her friend.

Harvey got up out of chair this time, "Me? Donna just walked away yesterday saying I should just forget she ever mentioned it. I didn't do shit."

"Exactly, Harvey! You didn't do shit, you didn't tell her what you should have told her. What I know you told Mike."

"Like that would have made a difference, she doesn't want that," Harvey continued as he threw his hands in the air; showing he clearly didn't know what to do about it.

Rachel slowly shook her head, tired of the game these two have been playing for the past years. "Are you really that blind?" she asked.

"What did you just say to me?" Harvey defended himself; the girl really had a nerve talking to her boss like that. Secretly he admired it; it was something only Mike used to do.

"Ooh, come on.. she's in love with you, Harvey," Rachel answered, "And now she's about to go on a date with a loser I doubt she even cares about -"

"She's what?!"

"She's having dinner with this guy tonight. Harvey if you only meant half of what you said to Mike the other night, don't wait," Rachel continued.

Harvey just stood there, shocked by what he had just heard and it took him a minute before the words had sunk in and he nodded.

"So what are you going to do?" Rachel asked impatiently.

"Right now, I'm waiting for you to finish the Johnsen briefs."

"Ooh," Rachel mumbled as she realised she was now longer wanted there, "I'll get right to them."

Harvey let himself fall back in his desk chair and repeated Rachel's words in his head, _she's in love with you, Harvey._ He unlocked his screen and looked at the 'it's a match' screen again; he sighed. _Now or never._


	7. Chapter 7 - Now or Never

**Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the next chapter; it's now or never. Enjoy and let me know what you think :)**

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Donna stretched in her bathtub; sinking her head under water. She let out a extra-long breath when she surfaced again. Mentally preparing her for a date with a guy she had never met. She couldn't even remember his name. Was it Dan, Dave, David? It didn't matter; all she could think about was that it wouldn't be Harvey. Her heart had taken an emotional rollercoaster the past week and right now it felt as if she was going in a free fall. So she did what he would usually do, just hook up with a random stranger. Go to dinner, back to his place, have meaningless sex and disappear again. Rebound-sex. Good thing the guy looked smoking hot.

She got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her body. Time to get ready for the date. She started with painting her toenails. Red. The same colour as always. Next was her lingerie. She put on her black lace panties and decided to skip the bra. It was just another clothing item she could possibly lose that night and it was the perfect excuse to wear a dress with a very low back. One that she had secretly bought with Harvey's credit card. She smiled, _exactly what he deserves right now._ She opened the clothing bag and removed the black dress from the hanger. She stepped into the dress and admired it in the mirror. The dress fit her like a glove, hugging her figure in all the right places. She looked hot. No, smoking hot. It was one of those dresses that would have made Harvey stare at her for a couple of minutes with his mouth dropped to the floor; she always pretended that she didn't notice that. She smirked at the thought that the guy wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off of her. She continued with her hair and make-up; deciding to go for a smoky eye and her hair up, drawing extra attention to her bare back. The last step was putting on her five inch heels that made her feel like the queen of the world. The type of shoes that would level her eyes at exactly the same height as Harvey's.

Donna grabbed her purse before she closed the door behind her. She sighed. _I am ready for this,_ she kept repeating to herself on the way down. She had often used Ray's services to bring her to a restaurant for a date, but not today. She got in the cab and told him the destination, Esca. One of the top Italian restaurants in the city, the other was off limits for these kind of things. That was another one of those unspoken things they had agreed on. When the cab pulled up on Ninth Avenue Donna let out a final breath before she got out of the cab. She stared at the blue sign above the entrance, the place might not look as good as some others she had been to, but the food was always amazing. Not that that really mattered to her tonight. She straightened her dress and entered the restaurant. Okay, the place looked like shit compared to Del Posto, but it still looked better than Lakeview. She let the waiter escort her to her table and ordered a glass of wine. She knew she was early, but she needed it.

.

Harvey locked his phone again. The words from Rachel still on repeat in his head. _She's in love with you, Harvey._ God, how he had screwed up. He grabbed his jacket and left the office, calling Ray to pick him up immediately.

Rachel smiled when she saw Harvey rushing towards the elevator after she had left his office.

Harvey stared at the display in the elevator. Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen. _Was this elevator always this slow,_ he wondered as he tapped his shoe against the floor. He practically jumped into the car once he got outside; it was now or never.

"Where to, Mr. Specter?" Ray asked.

Harvey looked up at Ray; he knew she would be out for dinner but he had no clue where she would go. There were so many places in the city she could have gone to, except for two. At least he knew where she wouldn't be. He looked at his watch; it was just past six, maybe she would still be at home. "Donna's apartment," he replied. Only two minutes into the drive his phone buzzed. He sighed, _seriously. They better not need me at the firm now._ But being the workaholic that he was he looked anyway.

It was a message from Rachel: 'she's at Esca (9th Avn. & W. 43rd), good luck – Rachel'

Harvey smiled at the screen. "Ray," he called out as he texted a thank you to Rachel, "turn around, I need to go to Esca on 9th Avn. & W. 43rd."

.

Harvey got out of the car, but told Ray to wait. _Just in case it didn't go as planned._ That's when it hit him; he had no clue what he was going to do now that he had shown up here. She was supposed to be on a date. _What if the guy was already there? What if he wasn't? What am I going to say anyway. Maybe I should just kiss her,_ he thought as his mind went on overdrive. _No, don't do that, Specter. She will definitely slap you and you'll be in a restaurant._ He sighed one last time before he entered the restaurant. He waited at the entrance but already spotted her vibrant red hair at the back of the restaurant. She was sitting with her back towards the door. Alone. He sighed, relieved that was the case. He looked at the book at the reception and quickly scanned all the reservations. 19.00 Reservation for two in name of David Smith. He quickly wrote a text to the phone number that was listed in the book as well, telling the guy Donna had to cancel. It was a dick move, but he couldn't care. Not anymore. The waiter walked up to him.

"Hello sir, did you have a reservation?" the young man asked.

"Yes," he lied, "I'm David Smith. I made a reservation for two."

The younger man pointed at Donna, "yes, the table in the back. With the redhead," he answered.

Harvey smiled. "Thank you," he answered when he started walking towards Donna's table.

.

Donna stared at the menu on the table as she took another sip of her wine. Okay, maybe it wasn't a sip. It was a mouthful. She suddenly wasn't so sure of this plan after all; did she really have to sit through dinner if all she wanted was to have sex? Like right now. _Would it be too much if I asked him to skip dinner and move on to desert immediately? At home,_ she thought.

.

"You look beautiful," he whispered as he stood near her table.

She took in his husky voice, sending a shiver down her spine. She recognized that voice instantly, leaving her speechless for a second. She turned her head to face him and it was indeed Harvey. "Harvey?" she asked hesitantly, pushing away her most recent thoughts.

"Donna," he answered as he placed himself on the seat across from her.

"What are you doing here and where is …" she started, realising she had once again forgotten his name.

"I cancelled your date with David," he smirked pausing for a second to continue answering the other question. The one she really wanted an answer to.

"You what?" she countered, conflicted with her own feelings. Not sure if she was pissed at him or not.

"Donna, I … I need to talk to you," he tried.

"No, Harvey," she answered. "You don't get to do this. Not anymore," she mumbled.

"Donna," he repeated.

But Donna shook her head and got out of her chair, Harvey grabbed her arm before she walked away. "Donna, please –" he whispered.

Donna was fighting the tears welling in her eyes; struggling to not give in as she stared at his puppy eyes. But she couldn't do this; she couldn't let him cancel her date and tell her the same thing he had already told her the day before. That he didn't think about her that way. She removed her arm from his grip.

"No, Harvey," she mumbled as she walked away.

Harvey hesitated for a couple of seconds before he got up and followed her, but the moment he stepped outside he saw her getting in a cab. "Donna," he exclaimed one last time, as he heard the door fell shut.

"Ray, to Donna's apartment. Now," he demanded as he got in his car again.

.

Donna threw the door closed behind her as she leaned back to it. Kicking off her shoes, wiping the tears from her face. _Why did he have to show up? Why? Why now._ She sighed at the sound of knocking on her door. "Harvey go," she said.

Harvey let his head rest against her front door. "No," he exclaimed back as he knocked on her door again. "Donna just open that god damn door!"

Donna turned around and pulled the door open, making Harvey nearly stumble inside. "Why are you here, Harvey?" she exclaimed as she walked away from him.

Harvey shut the door behind him and took a step towards her. "You know why," he mumbled making Donna turn around again.

"No. No I don't. What could you possibly want? Cause yesterday –"

"You," he cut her off. "I want you," he mumbled as he took another step towards her.

Donna felt her heart skip a beat at hearing him say those words, the proximity of his body. His cologne reminding her of the other time. She couldn't think anymore, she could only act. She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his.

Harvey pulled back for a second surprised by her move.

"Ooh, you've got to be kidding me," she mumbled as she looked down and stepped back, but Harvey stopped her. He pressed her against the wall and cupped her face. Kissing her again. Passionately this time; trying to make up for all those missed moments in the past decade.

The stared at each other's eyes the moment they gasped for air, bot showing a hunger inside them for something they had been waiting for over decade. Their lips crashing on one another's again as Harvey lifter her, making Donna wrap her legs around him.

"Bedroom," she whispered in his ear as he placed kisses down her neck.


	8. Chapter 8 - Vows

**Thanks everyone for the reviews. Sorry for the time it took to update this fic, it took a while to figure out where I wanted it to go / what would be next. Have fun reading it and let me know what you think. I love reading reviews :)**

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Donna helped Rachel in her dress. She admired her best friend in the mirror in front of them. She seemed to glow and she had never seen her this happy. Donna wrapped her arms around Rachel. "I'm so happy for you," she answered.

Rachel smiled back at Donna in the mirror. Her best friend, her maid of honour. "Thanks for everything, Donn," Rachel chirped as she let out a breath.

"No problem, that's what a bridesmaid is for," Donna answered.

Rachel turned around and reached for her bouquet. "About that," she started hesitantly resulting in a questioning face from Donna. "I really thought Harvey would be your date for tonight," she confessed as they walked through the room.

Donna thought about everything that had happened in the past week. The rehearsal dinner, tinder-gate, Harvey crashing her date. And them. Breaking her rule. More than once. And then there was the wedding, the wedding of their best friends. Harvey as the best man, she as maid of honour. Donna smiled at the bride to be who looked over her shoulder, waiting for Donna to answer or comment on that statement. "He asked," Donna told her, the smile only growing.

Rachel took in Donna's smile. "But?" she asked.

"We decided to not push anything," Donna stated, "so we agreed to both go alone."

Rachel laughed, "so indirectly Harvey is still your date."

"Yep," Donna answered, "are you ready," she asked, trying to direct the conversation to something else than Harvey and her. She didn't really know where they stood, so answering all Rachel's questions, let alone the most important emotional one, was not something she wanted to do now.

Rachel let out another breath. "Yes," she beamed as she gave Donna an arm and walked towards the hallway where her father was waiting. Donna gave Rachel a kiss on her cheek and greeted Mr. Zane.

Robert Zane looked at his daughter and swallowed. His little girl wasn't so little any more. "You look beautiful, Rachel," he whispered.

Rachel smiled at her father and gave him a hug. "Thanks dad," she whispered after she placed a kiss on his cheek, "don't cry," she added as she felt his arms tighten around her shoulders.

"Can't promise anything," her father countered, ever the lawyer, as he let go of her. "Let's do this," he mumbled as he signalled at Donna that they were ready.

.

Harvey looked at Mike who was standing next to him. Although standing was too much for what he was doing, as he watched Mike pacing on the spot as if he was swaying on the music that wasn't even playing yet. Harvey poked Mike with his elbow, "What are you doing?" he mumbled. "You're not backing out are you?"

Mike turned around and looked up to his mentor, "No. It's just … I need to pee," he mumbled.

Harvey laughed. "No you don't," he answered, "you're just nervous."

Mike shook his head. "No, I'm serious –"

"Too late," Harvey answered as he heard the music start. "Get ready," he said as he placed his hands on Mike's shoulders and turned him to face the aisle. His own eyes focussing on the door on the other side of the room as well.

Mike took a deep breath and lifted his head as he watched the big wooden doors open. Upfront was one of Rachel's nieces, the flower girl. He smiled at the little girl as he waited for the rest of the party to enter. The girl was followed by the redhead he knew all too well, Donna. The maid of honour, the woman who helped him get the venue they were currently at. The woman who secretly hid the invitations for the Attorney General and the Dean of Harvard Law, that Rachel's mom Laura had added to the guest list. He didn't know if the wedding would have been possible without the help of his surrogate mother. But it certainly wouldn't have been possible without the undeniable support and love from the woman that now entered the room. His fiancée, the love of his life. Rachel Elizabeth Zane. He watched her being escorted by her father, Robert, a man he once feared but has grown to respect and even care for. He took in her dress, the bouquet, the veil. Everything was beautiful, but the most beautiful part was her smile as she looked at him. That smile that made his heart melt, the one he had fallen in love with. Rachel squeezed her father's hand as she stepped next to Mike, making him cry as he let her go.

Harvey hadn't been able to keep his eyes of Donna as she had entered the room, it had only been two days since something had happened between them. But the idea that she was the one walking towards him came to his mind, and he couldn't seem to shake it. He took in her smile as she stood next to Rachel, he knew how happy she was for her best friend, but he also knew it was something she had always wanted and that she was secretly kind of hurt by the fact that her younger friend got to do this before her.

Harvey listened to his two associates exchanging their vows, their words reminding him of moments he had shared with Donna. 'I love that you know me better than I know myself,' he heard Mike say, 'you're the one that I trust the most. My friend, my love, my life.'

Donna's eyes met Harvey's during these particular sentences. Of everything mentioned in the vows, this part really seemed to apply to them. To Harvey and herself. The moment their eyes locked, a sparkle appeared in his eyes accompanied with a sincere smile. Donna was literally drowning at the sight in front of her and if the lovely couple hadn't been standing in between them she might not have been able to restrain herself.

'You may kiss the bride,' father Walker's voice echoed through the room.

Donna watched Mike dip Rachel as his lips met those of her best friend. Donna couldn't ignore the feeling it caused inside her, a primal need to be kissed. To feel Harvey's lips on hers again.

Harvey looked back and forth between the now married couple and Donna, he swallowed and clenched his fist as his gaze was now fixed on her soft lips. The ones he could still taste, but were of limits _for today._ That's what they had agreed on, _for now_ he changed that in his mind.

Mike brought Rachel back on her feet as he pulled back from the kiss that had caused the entire crowd to yell and whistle at them. Rachel smiled at him and whispered 'hubby' just before they stepped of the stage. Their fingers entwined as they walked down the aisle again towards the dining room.

Both Donna and Harvey didn't seem to notice the married couple had already left the stage, as they were supposed to follow them before the other guests could leave the room, so deeply buried in each other's eyes they were. A gentle cough from the priest making them break eye contact and Donna blushed as she realized Rachel and Mike were already at the door and everybody had been waiting for them.

Harvey noticed how she looked away. Shyly maybe even a bit embarrassed, but he couldn't help but smile. He stepped forward and offered her his arm as of nothing was happening. Donna quietly accepted it as she hooked her arm around his, only looking up at him as they were almost near the door themselves. The moment they entered the hallway Harvey pulled her towards the wardrobe and pressed her against the wall with his own body. Their eyes locking for a couple of seconds before his lips crashed on Donna's, who eagerly answered his kiss. They both pulled away gasping for air, "we should get back, before they are starting to miss us," she whispered.

Harvey nodded, but before he let her go he kissed her again. Slowly this time, as if he was building a reserve for the rest of the evening where they would have to keep up appearances. Rachel and Mike might know or have their suspicions, there were another couple of hundred guests who didn't, amongst them Jessica, Louis and several clients. Harvey reached for her hand as they walked towards the dining room, he placed a kiss on it before she held his arm again.

"There they are," Rachel whispered to her now husband as she watched the two of them enter the room. Donna and Harvey walked up to them and congratulated the newlyweds, Harvey embracing Mike for once and Donna placed a kiss on Rachel's cheek. Rachel had to hold her laugh as she watched Harvey who was now standing in front of her. He also gave her a hug and Rachel hold him for just a second longer as she whispered "you have some lipstick over your face" in his ear.

Harvey could only smirk at his associates comment, even though they were definitely caught red handed. Or red lip-sticked for this matter. He removed it with his fingers and watched Donna smirk at his action. "You could have warned me," he whispered as he followed her to the table.

"Maybe I just wanted everyone here to see you're mine," she teased him, her words not being far from the truth.

.

Donna watched her best friend walk through the crowd of people. Stopping at the small stage the band was still playing, she also noticed all the female guests starting to gather in front of the stage. _Rachel was going to throw her bouquet_ , she thought, although no preparative arose to join the other women.

Harvey watched Donna as he played with the rose he had managed to steal from Rachel's bouquet in his hand. He saw her letting out a deep breath and when he followed her gaze he thought he knew why. Harvey walked towards her and stopped behind her, he was sure she could already sense his presence, but she didn't acknowledge him yet. Harvey stepped even closer, his body almost touching hers as he brought his right arm around her and held the rose in front of her.

Donna directly sensed his presence, a shiver send down her spine as she could feel his breath tingling her neck. She smelled his cologne, but it was mixed with something softer, a fresher scent. A scent coming from a different direction than his cologne. A scent from right in front of her. Donna let her eyes fall down as she spotted the rose he was holding in front of her. A smile appeared on her lips as her hands covered his and hold on to the rose. Maybe it was because of the wedding planning, reading all the magazines, maybe she had always known. She wondered if he knew as she looked at the single red rose; a rose that meant 'I love you.'

Donna slightly looked over her shoulder. "Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," he replied as he placed a kiss on her shoulder. "I thought I'd get you this since you're not lining up over there," he paused for a second, "why?" he asked then.

Donna let out a small breath. "I've caught a lot of those in my life and it has never brought me what it promised."

"You never know," he whispered barely loud enough for her to hear.

"Maybe not catching one will," she mumbled as she took the rose from his hand. "Besides," she continued as she turned around to face him, "I already got this," she said with a big smile as she met his eyes.

Harvey smiled at her and swallowed, he wondered how it was possible for Donna to look this wonderful. Now even more than ever, his smile grew as he realised she had actually caught a piece of Rachel's bouquet without even knowing it. He took it from her hands and slid his right hand in her hair as he placed the rose in it with his left hand. His fingers tangled in her hair a bit longer than she might have approved of here at the venue, but right now no one was paying attention to them.

.

Rachel looked around the crowed before she was going to toss her flowers; she was trying to find the redhead amongst the women in front of her, but she didn't. She was about to call out her name and order her to take place when she spotted Donna in the back of the room. She watched Harvey placing a rose in her best friends hair and it made her smile; there was no need to wait for Donna as she turned around again and let the bouquet fly over her head. She heard the girls screaming behind her when she let go, but she couldn't be bothered. Her best friend seemed to be happy and Rachel herself certainly was as she looked at Mike.

Mike stepped towards Rachel and dragged her on the dancefloor. There were still a couple of hours left before they had to leave for their honeymoon, and right now all he wanted to do is dance with his wife. Or have a drink with his best man, but he seemed a bit too preoccupied by a particular redhead.

.

Harvey watched Donna dance in front of him, she was trying to make him dance. And if he had to admit he wanted to. He only danced when he was with Donna, but he wasn't going to make it this easy for her. He liked the show.

Donna threw a flirtatious smile at Harvey as she danced towards him, placing her left hand on his left shoulder as she circled around him. "Dance with me," she whispered in his right ear, making Harvey smirk.

"Donna," he mumbled.

"Ooh, come on," Donna continued as she turned herself around him, swaying her back against his chest. "I know you can dance," she continued as she reached for his hands and placed them on her own hips, making him sway on the music with her.

Harvey gave in as Donna was practically grinding against him with her arm thrown back around his neck and it was definitely turning him on. He witnessed the smile on her face, indicating she knew the effect she was having on him. Harvey reached for her hand and spun her around until she landed in his arms again. This time there faces a mere inch apart, as he pressed her body against his, his right hand protectively laying on the small of her back.

Donna stared in his eyes, her breath accelerating as she wrapped her arm around his neck. Her fingers playing with his hair. His forehead resting on hers as they just looked at each other, both being pulled closer to the other.

"Kiss me," he whispered.

"Harvey," she mumbled, thinking about their agreement, "everyone – "

But she stopped talking as Harvey moved his head closer to her, his lips almost touching her ear lope. "I don't care about everyone else here," he whispered as he placed kissed down her jawline, stopping at the corner of her mouth. "I want – "

But he couldn't finish what he was about to say as Donna's lips met his. It was soft and sweet and only lasted a couple of seconds; she did it to shut him up. He knew that, but it was driving him crazy non the less. It made him want her even more now.

Donna pulled back a little, making Harvey rest his head on hers. It took a couple of seconds before she was able to open her eyes again. When she did she stared in his eyes, they seemed to sparkle more than ever. "Let's get out of here," she whispered.

.

Mike spun Rachel around and caught her in his arms again as he kissed her. "Let's get out of here," he whispered, "just you and me. Let's skip the goodbyes and go."

Rachel took in the look on his face and smiled, normally she would have protested. Would have made sure she said her goodbyes. At least to her parents, Donna, Harvey and the rest of the firm. But she also knew this big wedding was everything she had wanted and if this was something he wanted, she wouldn't protest.

Rachel reached for his hand and nodded, "let's go."

With their fingers interlaced they slowly backed out of the room, the moment they reached the hallway they started running. Running towards the garden, towards the car that had already been waiting for them. When they finally did, they laughed and Mike pulled her closer once more. To kiss his wife in private this time.

Unfortunately they weren't alone. Their moment was soon to be interrupted as two man walked up to them.

"Michael James Ross?" one of them asked.

Mike pulled back from the kiss with Rachel and looked at the older man. "Yes," he answered confused.

The man reached for his arms and pulled him onto the car.

"You're under arrest for conspiracy to commit fraud."


	9. Chapter 9 - Shock

**Thanks for the reviews, the story was actually supposed to end with the wedding... but then the show gave us that ending. Mike getting arrested. And I just had to use it somehow, so I decided to incorporate it in this story. Just after their wedding, for some dramatic effect/ plot twist, giving myself a reason to continue. Anyway thanks for all the reviews. Here's the next part, sorry it's short.. time it limited and I have some research to do on how to get Mike out of this mess. Besides I'm not sure yet if I want Harvey to get Mike out or let him go to prison... and the big Whodunnit question? Decisions, decisions. Hope you enjoy, love to read your reviews/ thoughts :)**

* * *

"Wait, what?" Mike exclaimed as the cop held his head, pressing his chest against the limo. His hands held on his back, while the other cop reached for his hand cuffs and put them on.

"No," Rachel cried out as she ran over towards Mike. "No," she yelled again, trying to get in between the agent and her husband, but the other agent grabbed her at her shoulders and pushed her back.

"I'm sorry, miss," the man said as he looked at her. "Please step back or come with us," he warned her as he showed her his other set of hand cuffs.

"M ..Mike," she mumbled as she dropped on her knees, not even noticing the gravel pressing in her legs. Her hands falling to the ground as well as she tried to fight the tears.

Mike looked over his shoulder, tears forming in his eyes at the sight of his wife in complete despair. He slowly shook his head to let her know she should stay. Stay and get help, "Get –" he mumbled, but he couldn't finish his sentence as the agent pulled him back up again and pushed him towards the police car.

Rachel swallowed and nodded at Mike to let him know she knew what to do. Tell Harvey. It took Rachel a couple of seconds before she was able to move again. Once she got up from the ground, she shook the little stones from her dress and wiped away a tear and turned around, running back inside. Nearly out of breath she stormed into the ball room. The sound of the large door opening making most of the guests turn around and look at her. A gasping sound travelling through the group of guest while Rachel scanned the room for a particular red head. Well she was actually looking for Harvey, but she figured it to be easier to spot the other half of that duo in such a crowded room. Remembering how she had seen them share that moment.

.

"Harv -" Donna mumbled as he pressed her body against the back wall mirror of the elevator, but his lips met hers before she could fully pronounce his name.

"Donna," he mumbled on her lips after he pulled back for a second. His hands holding her at her waist, his sparkling eyes meeting hers.

"Just kiss me," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingers playing with his hair, making Harvey reach for her bottom lip as his hands moved over her hips lifting her up. Donna wrapped her legs around him, her hands caressed his cheeks before she undid his bowtie and the buttons of his suit shirt. Sliding her hands under the fabric, letting her hands rest on his torso. Tracing his muscles with her fingers.

The sound of the elevator reaching the floor of destination being the only thing that stopped them from going further at that moment. Donna laughed as Harvey's hands reached for her butt and her back as he carried her out of the elevator towards his room. Her hands reached for the room key in the pocket of his suit shirt. Dangling the card in front of his face before she kissed him again. "Faster Specter," she whispered.

"Working on it," he replied as he reached for the card, while still trying to hold Donna and at the same time trying to open the door of his hotel room.

"Good," she whispered again as her hands held his face, her lips crashing on his again.

.

Rachel checked the crowd twice, but there was no sign of her maid of honour. No sign of Donna. Or Harvey. She quickly turned around and entered the nearest elevator, before one of the guests could follow her and question her what was going on. Before her parents would notice her shocked expression.

She got out of the elevator on the same floor she had begun this day. She hurried towards Donna's room, but after knocking on the door twice with no answer, Rachel ran over to what she remembered to be Harvey's room. Knocking on the door more desperately this time.

Harvey pulled back at the sound of someone knocking at his hotel room door. His eyes moved up and down between the door and Donna. Donna looked up at Harvey now hovering above her as she lay on his bed, one of her legs still wrapped around his. She pressed her index finger on his lips to stop him from yelling at the door. "Just wait, they'll go away," she whispered as softly as possible removing her finger again, making Harvey smile and press his lips against hers again.

Rachel knocked on the door once more, tears streaming down her face. "Donna," she cried out loud, "Donna please."

Donna pushed Harvey back the second she heard the familiar voice. "That's Rachel," she whispered softly to clarify her actions.

Harvey rolled off her and sat up at the edge of the bed as he studied Donna's questioning face. "Something is wrong," he heard her continue, now wondering himself what was going on.

Donna quickly got of his bed and walked past the bed. Stopping in front of Harvey to remove her red lipstick from the corner of his mouth. She knew Rachel knew and that it didn't matter. It shouldn't matter, but after twelve years of denying. Of lying to yourself, to each other. Of hiding any evidence that indicated otherwise, it had become a part of her system. Harvey took this as a hint and closed the buttons of his shirt again as he watched Donna move towards the door.

"OMG, Rach," Donna exclaimed as she found her best friend sitting on the ground leaning against the door post. "What happened? Where's Mike?" she continued as she kneeled down next to Rachel, trying to make the bride look at her, but Rachel didn't respond. All Donna could hear were soft sobs. " Harvey," Donna mumbled as she looked over her shoulder only to find him already next to her. The sound of her worried voice had made him run towards the hallway as well.

"Rachel," the lawyer said to his female associate, not sure what had caused the just happily married bride to be in tears in front of his door.

"We need to get her inside," Donna mumbled as she looked at Harvey, who acted by lifting Rachel up and walking her inside. Helping her in one of the chairs, Donna taking place in the chair next to Rachel while Harvey paced through the room. Not sure how to handle himself in this situation. Not sure what was going on.

"Rach," Donna tried again as she reached for Rachel's hand, "what happened?"

"It's … it is Mike," she cried as she looked at Donna, "he … he," she stuttered.

"What happened with Mike?" Donna asked, taking in the frightened face of the younger woman in front of her before she looked at Harvey again. Looking for mental support but he just stared at the two woman.

"Arrested," Rachel blurted out now. "Mike got arrested."

"Ooh my god," Donna mumbled as she brought her hand to her mouth. Shocked. Not knowing what to say, her eyes searching for Harvey again who looked like a deer in the headlights. His eyes big, she could see him swallow. She could practically hear the gears in his brain turning, already trying to find a solution. "Harvey," she mumbled then, still looking at him.

"I'll go," he mumbled looking around the room for his jacket. "I'll go help him."

Donna squeezed Rachel's hand before she got up and followed Harvey who was on his way to the door.

"Harvey," she whispered as she reached for his arm. Harvey turned around and faced Donna, he took in her scared look. She wasn't just worried about Mike, but about him as well. Although she had no idea why Mike had been arrested, there was always that one secret they had been trying to keep for the past four years. And if that was the reason, she had every right to be worried about Harvey too. "Please," she mumbled as she looked in his eyes, hoping he would understand what she meant with that.

Harvey cupped her face, wiping away the tear that ran down her face. "It will be alright, Donna," he whispered, "no need to worry," _about me,_ he thought as he kissed her once more.

"I'll fix this," he told her more firmly this time as he squeezed her hand, their fingers slowly loosing contact as he walked through the door. Causing Donna's hand to linger in the air, swallowing as she thought about what was to come.

.

"Michael James Ross?" an older man said as he entered the holding cell Mike was currently in. Still wearing his wedding tux, a smudge of Rachel's lipstick on his face. The special cufflinks Harvey had given him as a present scraping the table as he tried to move his hands, but he couldn't, his hands still being handcuffed to the table. Mike nodded as he watched the man take place across the table from him. The man opened a folder and scanned the contents quickly before his gaze rested on Mike again. He didn't ask him anything, it was merely a demonstration of power. Showing the younger man that he was in charge. Intimidation was what you could call it. Whoever blinked first. The man knew he had won when he noticed Mike move on his chair, his mouth slightly opening. Ready to speak.


	10. Chapter 10 - Coffee Cart Guy

**Thanks everyone for the reviews, still trying to figure out how to get this all solved. But extreme situations call for extreme measures as you'll see in this chapter. I had fun writing that part and hope you'll enjoy it. A bit of humour again in this story that turned so serious all of a sudden. Enjoy and would love to hear your thoughts. x**

* * *

"Why is my client held in custody?" Harvey ordered as he stormed into the room, pointing at Mike.

"Aah, if it isn't the famous Harvey Specter," the agent replied, "just the man we're looking for."

Harvey frowned and looked at the guy, wondering how he already knew his name. Redirecting his gaze towards Mike again.

"Conspiracy to commit fraud," the man replied, the words feeling as a stump in the stomach when Harvey heard them. He kept looking at Mike, not knowing for sure what to say now. What he could say now. What had Mike already said, and Mike seemed to read his mind when he shook 'no' with his head. Harvey swallowed and nodded.

"I'd like to speak with my client," Harvey continued opening the door for the agent.

"You've got five minutes," the guy said as he left the room.

.

"So this is it," Mike stated, "they know."

Harvey nodded and let his head hang down. "Have they told you how much they know?"

"No," Mike mumbled, "and I haven't said anything."

Harvey nodded, he understood what Mike meant by that. He hadn't told them about everyone that knew about Mike. "Good," he mumbled. "We'll fix this. I'll get you out of here, I'll pay the bail."

"Harvey," Mike interrupted him, letting out a breath. "They've already booked me. I have -"

"To stay till trial," Harvey finished Mike's sentence for him.

"Yep," Mike nodded, "which will be on Monday." "Harvey," Mike mumbled, "how's Rachel?"

Harvey let his head hang down. "A mess," he confessed, "but Donna's with her."

.

"Rach, everything is going to be fine," Donna tried to calm her friend down once they were back in her apartment. She couldn't let her go home alone and she couldn't let her go to her parents, the risk of Robert Zane finding out as well was too big. That's what Rachel had asked her, to take her away before one of the guests found out what had happened. Rachel just turned around and cried as she let her head rest on Donna's shoulder. "Let's get you out of this dress now," Donna offered as she guided Rachel to her bedroom. She helped her get out of the dress before she placed Rachel in her own bed. "Just calm down," Donna whispered as she lay herself besides Rachel on the duvet. "Try to get some sleep," Donna continued as she removed some stings of hair from her best friends face. Half an hour later the soft sobs had turned into a steady breathing rhythm and Donna watched her friend sleep before she got off her bed and changed into something more comfortable herself. Yoga pants and an old sweater she had once borrowed from Harvey.

.

Harvey dragged his feet on the flight of stairs, through the hall way until he stood in front of the door he had been just a couple of days ago. He stared at the brass '206' before he knocked on the door. Hoping Donna would still be awake and his phone had still been in Donna's purse.

Donna got up from the couch at the sound of someone knocking at her door. Three soft but firm knocks. Harvey. She opened the door to confirm her thoughts. He was indeed standing in front of her. She took in his defeated look. "Hey," she whispered as she let him enter her apartment. Harvey took a couple of steps inside and mumbled something back, his reaction making Donna worry even more. She removed his jacket and wrapped her arms around him. "You couldn't sleep either?" she whispered.

Harvey nodded and wrapped his arms around her back, letting his head rest on her shoulder. He just wanted to hold her right now as his eyes closed again.

"Let's sit down," she whispered as she let go of him, Harvey automatically dropping himself on the couch. Too tired to do anything else, except for raising his eyebrows as Donna walked back with a spare blanket and pillow. "Rachel's sleeping in my bed," she added for clarification.

Harvey nodded and kicked of his shoes before he signalled Donna to come sit next to him. Donna crawled next to him as he wrapped the blanket around them.

"Is it bad?" she asked as she let her head rest in the crook of his neck.

Harvey caressed her head. "It is," he mumbled, "conspiracy to commit fraud."

"Shit," she mumbled.

.

* * *

.

Harvey let out a breath as he watched Louis enter his office. "What do you want Louis?" he asked annoyed. It had been one hell of a day and he wasn't any closer to finding a solution yet. His two associates both missing from the firm, Jessica had taken over his clients and Louis had to keep up appearances for the rest of the partners, which meant he had to do it all by himself. Normally Donna would be there to help, but he had given her the afternoon off to look after Rachel.

"I was wondering if I could help," Louis answered.

"Louis," Harvey sighed, "as much as I appreciate your offer. I don't think there's much we can do about this."

"It really is that bad, isn't it?" Louis replied.

"It is," Harvey answered, "we need one hell of an 'out of the box' solution or we won't be able to get Mike out of this. Or ourselves."

"Maybe we should go to the coffee cart guy?" Louis suggested after a view minutes of silence.

Harvey turned his head in surprise, a frown growing on his face. "What?" he mumbled then, questioning Louis face. Wondering if he really heard him say that or if it was a result of his lack of sleep.

"Ooh come on," Louis nagged, "Donna told me how you and Mike thought Hardman had you and there was nothing to lose. So – "

"Wait," Harvey interrupted him then, "you know about the coffee cart guy?"

.

"Okay, here you go," Harvey said as he handed the joint to Louis who inhaled longer than he should have done.

"Oooh," he mumbled immediately experiencing the effect of the joint, "is the light in your office always this pink?"

"What are you talking about, Louis?" Harvey asked as he took the joint again, inhaling again.

"The light here," Louis replied as he looked at the ceiling, "it's so pink. I never saw you as a pink kind of man."

"Louis," Harvey said as he snapped his fingers in front of the other lawyer trying to make him focus, "this better not be the first time you're smoking a joint."

Louis just stared at Harvey trying to answer his question but smiled at him instead. He couldn't stop grinning.

Harvey shook his head. S _hit why did I listen to Louis._ "Stop smiling please," Harvey whined, "you look like you have eighty teeth and I'm calling Donna."

.

Donna got out of the elevator, her eyes adjusting to the dim lighting on the fiftieth floor. It was half past ten and every normal employee had long left the firm, but she knew they were still there. Trying to find a solution. Saving Mike. Saving them. Saving her. Just like she had been with Rachel all day. Trying to comfort her, telling her everything will be alright. It was something she was so used to saying in times of stress, but this was the first time she actually wasn't sure if she could keep up with that promise. For the first time the words 'Harvey will fix this' weren't a guarantee. She had been on her way home, well on her way to his apartment actually when he called. Told her he needed her at the firm. She walked through the hallway, even though barely able to see where she was going her legs took her where she needed to go. A route she walked every day. Eighty nine steps. From the elevator to his office. A route that had become a part of her system. A part of her. If she had to she could walk it with her eyes closed. And even though this route was so familiar today she saw something she had never seen before. "OMG," she exclaimed as she took in the dancing Louis in Harvey's office, "what have you done to him?"

Harvey just grinned at Donna, he actually liked this laid back version of Louis for a change.

Donna shook her head and spotted the weed and glasses of scotch on his coffee table, "please tell me the two of you didn't."

"It was actually Louis' idea," Harvey defended himself.

"Yeah sure," she replied as she walked over to Louis, "and how on earth would he suggest something like that."

"You told him," Harvey gloated as he reached for his scotch taking a sip.

"Louis?" Donna asked as she placed her hands on the arms of the other lawyer.

"Donna," he sang as he noticed the auburn locks in front of him, "you marvellous creature. Dance with me," he said as he spun her around.

Harvey laughed at the sight in front of him, resulting in a near death stare from Donna. One that screamed save me. Harvey placed his scotch back on the table and walked over to the others. "Louis, buddy," he started as he tried to free Donna from Louis' arms, "maybe it's time for you to go drink some water in the partners kitchen."

Louis let go of Donna almost immediately, "Yes!" He exclaimed then, "yes, H-dawg that's what I'm gonna do," he continued as he walked out of the door. Harvey reached for Donna's hand as they could hear Louis singing in the hallway. "I'm gonna get some water, I'm gonna get some water."

Harvey laughed again and Donna playfully slapped him on the chest, "look what you've done to him," she hissed.

"I'm sorry?" Harvey replied his signature smirk appearing on his face.

"You better," she replied as she turned towards him, her right hand resting on his chest.

"I know of something to do to make it up to you," he whispered in her ear.

"Ooh, do you?" She flirted back as they looked into each other's eyes.

"Uhu," Harvey nodded as he pulled her closer and kissed her.

Donna answered his kiss but pulled away a few seconds later. "I think we should go and find Louis," she told him as she walked out of his office.

Harvey quickly followed her, increasing his step to catch up on her. Once he did he let his hand rest on the small of her back his fingers drawing patterns on the fabric of her dress as she leaned in against him. They had agreed to keep things low key at the office, which meant no touching of any kind. Something that seemed now harder than ever. Especially this last day, with Mike potentially going to prison. With their own careers on the line, it was hard not being able to find comfort at one another. And right now Donna didn't care anymore, she just needed him.

.

"He wasn't there," she said as she stepped out of the partners kitchen again walking towards Harvey who had just looked if Louis was in the bathroom.

"He wasn't in the bathroom either," Harvey answered as they continued searching for Louis on the second floor. They check the office of the man in question, followed by Jessica's as Donna remembered how Louis had once fallen asleep on the managing partners couch, but he wasn't there either. They checked both Rachel and Mike's office, or the office that used to be Mike's, but still no sign of the name partner. They walked through the bull pen and the file room and the copy room and back to the file room, but once again Louis was nowhere to be seen.

"Harvey," Donna mumbled, "I don't know what to do anymore," she admitted, fear sounding in her voice.

Harvey stepped closer towards her. "I could think of something," he whispered in her ear as he tucked a string of her auburn locks behind her ear, "you, me, now."

"In the file room? You can't be serious," she replied as she pushed him back a little.

"Donna, I couldn't be more serious," Harvey answered as he brought his lips closer to hers again, "you have no idea how much I want you right now." Donna's smile causing him to press his lips against hers, before he pulled back again.

"Harv,"she nearly moaned at the touch of his lips on her neck, his hands on her waist, "Not now. We've got to find Louis."

"Not now," Harvey repeated, "that's not a no," he teased her with his signature smirk.

"Fine," she whispered as she traced his lips with her thumb, "once you've saved Mike."

"Deal," he whispered as he kissed her again, "now let's find Louis."

Donna had to hold her smile at the sudden enthusiasm in his voice and she could almost see a slight spring is his step. She chuckled as she followed him, checking the 47th floor.

.

"Maybe, he's gone home?" Harvey suggested.

"I don't think so," Donna replied as she looked around.

"Maybe we should get back to my office and continue finding a solution for this mess," Harvey countered.

"Perhaps," she mumbled, "but we can't leave without knowing where he is. Let's check the library."

"Fine, but that's the last place I'm going to look for him."

Both Donna and Harvey's mouth fell open as they entered the library, the sight in front of them was just to ridiculous to be true. Donna gently squeezed Harvey's arm to prevent him from laughing, before she took a step towards the other name partner. The one that was standing on one of the library tables holding a book and citing the law like he was performing in one of Shakespeare's plays. "Louis?" Donna tried, Harvey stepping right behind her, his hand still on the small of her back.

Louis immediately dropped the book and turned his head towards the direction of the sound he heard. He stared at the two people in front of him, a smile growing on his face which one again made him look like he had eighty teeth. "You two would make the most beautiful babies," he blurted out.

"Uh, Louis –" Donna mumbled, but Louis interrupted her.

"I would be terrified of them with his arrogance and your sassy ness, but they would be beautiful. Just imagine a little girl with long red hair and two of those moles above her eyebrow that seem to be following you. Just perfection," he rambled.

"Louis," Donna tried again.

"No seriously," he interrupted her once more, "why aren't the two of you together? Why?"

Harvey pulled Donna towards him and kissed her then. Right there in front of Louis, he figured it to be the best answer to his question and it would make him shut up at the same time. But mostly he just wanted to feel her lips on his again.

"OMG," Louis cried out loud, "did I just bring the two of you together?"

Harvey opened his mouth to protest, but Donna cut him off. "Yes you did. Thank you, Louis," she told him, pretty sure he wouldn't remember it anyway.

Louis jumped of the table and ran over to his friends. "I'm so happy for you both," he chirped as he embraced them.

Donna couldn't help but wonder how she had ended up in an hug with her boss annex boyfriend and the other lawyer, while both men were stoned, the latter far worse than the former. "Louis," Donna mumbled as she tried to get herself out of the hug, "maybe we should go back and try to save Mike."

"Yes, mam," Louis answered as he stepped back, "let's save that son of yours," he called as he walked out of the library.

.

Donna let out a yawn as she struggled to keep her eyes open. After another five minutes of reading the same line all over again, she let the file rest on her lap as she curled up next to Harvey on his couch. Her head resting against his chest as he wrapped his left arm around her, still trying to read the file in his other hand. Louis just smiled at the sight in front of him, he was truly happy for his friends.

"Louis," Harvey whispered as he finished his file, "could you hand me another file?" he asked as he noticed how Donna had already fallen asleep. Louis nodded and kept handing him files whenever Harvey needed one, both only whispering when they needed to communicate, trying not to wake Donna. They continued working for several more hours, until all of a sudden Louis found something.

"Holy shit," Louis blurted out.


	11. Chapter 11 - Rumours

**THanks everyone for the reviews. It's been a long wait and I'm sorry. Here's the next (short) part, I hope you'll enjoy it non the less and maybe leave a review? x Happy Holidays**

* * *

 **Chapter 11 Rumours**

She tried to ignore the camera's, the journalists that were hanging around the firm, her firm. At six in the morning, but there was no point. The word was out, the gift that keeps on giving, gave once more. A final push to the already quite instable structure of the firm, but she did what she'd always do. She closed her eyes for a second, letting out a breath before she got out of the car. The sunglasses she was wearing to hide the effect this all was having on her, as she pushed through the crowd.

Not blinking of looking up every single time she heard her name being called, she went straight for the revolving door, being inside the firm with one big push she was finally able to let out sigh. Mumbling a soft hello to the security guards as a thank you for keeping the craziness outside the building, she let her legs carry her to the elevator, her fingers directly pressing the button of the fiftieth floor.

She hoped that that was it, sixty seconds for herself to escape the chaos. Sixty second to compose herself, but the opposite seemed to be true as the doors of the elevator opened again. She spotted some nameless interns whispering around, but falling quiet as she walked by. She couldn't help but wonder if it was still about the fraud. That news was at least two days old and this sounded different. Something else was going on and for once she had no idea as to what exactly.

She turned the corner and the event repeated as the hallway of the fiftieth floor fell silent at her presence. "You," she spoke pointing to an associate and the guy walked towards her not knowing what he'd had to expect. "What's that all about?" The associate just stared at the managing partner, not sure what to say. "Speak," Jessica ordered again.

"Mr. Specter," the guy mumbled, "he uhm.. they.." but he stopped speaking as Jessica raised her hand indicating him to stop, she knew enough. With firm steps she moved towards the name partners office, only to be stopped in her tracks as she immediately understood where all the gossip came from.

She softly knocked on the door as she kept her eyes on the couple in front of her. The way Donna was tangled up against Harvey, both asleep making her smile. She let out a soft cough as she stood on the opposite side of the coffee table. Harvey opened his eyes again, he'd been awake on and off for the past half hour but hadn't moved yet, not wanting to wake up the redhead. He brought the index finger of his right hand to his lips, a silent plead to not mention anything right now as he watched the managing partner signal for him to follow her.

He lifted his legs from the coffee table, placing them on the ground as the movement made Donna move around in her sleep a bit. Her head still on his lap as he felt her fingers move against his thigh. He now lifted his left arm that was still wrapped around her, slowly lifting her up before he moved from the couch. He nodded at Jessica who was still waiting for him in the doorway that he would indeed follow. The managing partner started walking already, but lowering her pace as she saw from the corner of her eye how he reached for a blanket and placed it over the legal secretary, before his lips placed a gentle kiss on top of her head.

"So," the managing partner mumbled as she looked at the still sleepy Harvey next to her, "you and Donna." "Yes," he mumbled back letting out a yawn. "I thought you were supposed to be working on Mike's case, not this merger that's been long overdue."

Harvey just stared at his boss, "I am working on the Mike mess," he said then, "in fact Louis and I both worked on it." Jessica raised her eyebrows, "you willingly worked together with Louis and I didn't even have to ask?" she mocked him, "what day is it?"

"Yeah, very funny.. He's actually quite fun when he's.. Shit!" he exclaimed then. "When he's what?" Jessica asked, "Harvey what happened?" Harvey looked around him, his eyes quickly scanning the partners office in question as they walked past it. "He wasn't in my office was he?" Harvey mumbled out loud now.

Jessica shook her head. "Harvey what happened?" she demanded as she guided him inside her own office, but she got stopped in her tracks as she spotted the other name partner asleep on her couch. "Louis what the hell," she shot making Harvey laugh and Louis wake up.

"Mommy?" Louis mumbled as he rubbed his eyes, completely unaware of where he was. "You've got to be freaking kidding me," she continued as she eyed both lawyers. "What the hell did you made him do."

"Woah," Harvey protested, "it was his idea to go to the coffee cart guy. Not mine." Jessica just stared at both of them before she started pacing through the room. "You two were.." But she didn't pronounce the words, "goddamn it Harvey, Louis! You're both name partners for goodness sake. So did this extra-curricular activity produce anything useful or what?"

Harvey let his head hang down, his mind drawing blank; apart from the quick make out sessions with Donna and the way she fell asleep against him, he didn't remember much. "I don't -"

Jessica let out a tired laugh, letting her body lean against her desk now. "Well that's great then.. Not only didn't you find anything.. I can't possibly send either of you to court like this."

Louis just moved around again, bringing his hand to his head as he had a massive headache. His other hand now feeling a piece of paper crumbled next to his butt. He slowly lifted it, reading it again as he mumbled the same words he had exclaimed the night before. "This is it," he continued.

"Louis," Jessica breathed, but the man jumped up, handing her the file. "Read," was all he said, causing her to mumble the same words. "This might actually work," she mumbled, "but we've got to prep everyone."


	12. Chapter 12 - Denial

**Thanks everyone for the reviews! I love reading them!**

 **Here's chapter 12, we're almost at the end. The next chapter will be the last. I hope you enjoy it and maybe leave a review? x**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Denial**

Harvey entered his office again, a smile plastered on his face as he watched how Donna was still sleeping on his couch. He quietly sat himself besides her, his hand moving her hair out of her face as her name left his lips in a soft whisper. She moved around a bit a smile appearing on her face as she heard his voice, slowly opening her eyes she watched Harvey smile at him. "Hey," she whispered before her eyes finally registered the surroundings. "OMG, we're in your office," she continued sitting up now, her hands fidgeting with the plaid that still covered her legs.

"I don't remember," she mumbled signalling the object in her hands. "You fell asleep," he whispered his head a bit crooked as he smiled at her, "in my arms." She tried to hide her smile as she shook her head, "and you?" she whispered remembering how he had woken her up just now. He extended his hand helping her up as he walked to his desk two reach for the coffee he had brought along. "Let's just say Jessica was the one to wake me up from that couch."

She followed him barefoot through his office, letting the cup warm her hands as she looked at Harvey again. "What did she have to say?" she mumbled then, sitting down in his desk chair as she turned to face him again. Harvey let out a laugh as he leaned against the window sill, his gaze tracing her legs until he met her eyes again. "That this merger was long overdue," he recalled then, causing Donna to nearly choke on her coffee. "She called us a merger," she mumbled shaking her head, but Harvey just nodded. "She was right though, it was long overdue."

"That woman," Donna mumbled rubbing some sleep out of her eyes, her mind remembering she had just woken up. "Ooh, god, I must look horrible," she mumbled avoiding his gaze again. "Hey," he whispered getting on his feet, his hand caressing her cheek, making her look at him again. "You're beautiful," he whispered placing a kiss on top of her head.

"Harv," she mumbled then, "why are you here and not working on Mike's case?" He swallowed, letting his shoulders hang low. "There's something you should know," he told her, burying his hands in the pockets of his pants. "You found out who turned Mike in," she mumbled then letting out a sigh as he nodded at her words. "And you need me to tell Rachel."

"Yes," he answered, "but not only her," his words making her question who else she needed to tell. "Louis," he mumbled then, "the one that turned Mike in was –" "No," Donna exclaimed, "ooh god no," she added bringing her to her mouth, "that will destroy him."

.

.

"Thanks," Rachel whispered as she took the cup of tea from Donna's hand. "How are you holding up?" Donna asked sitting next to her best friends, the words of Harvey still on repeat in her mind. "Barely," Rachel whispered staring at her wedding ring. "It's all so surreal," she continued, "this bad dream I can't seem to wake up from, yet I know it's real." Donna swallowed, pressing her lips together in a thin line. "I just miss him so much," Rachel added, the words making Donna's stomach turn at the thought of ever having to be away from Harvey like this.

"How's the case going," the associate asked then, she hadn't set foot in the firm since all of this happened, the first thing they all decided on was denial. Denying she knew of this, Mike had made her promise. And for the time being, the rest had done the same, to figure out where they stood first. "Louis came up with a possible tactic. Harvey and Jessica think it might work," Donna told her, "but we need to prep everyone for what's to come."

Rachel swallowed. "A mock trial," she mumbled, "if you're here to convince me to come to the firm and help safe it while they let Mike behind bars you can forget about it." Donna moved back on the couch, quite shocked from Rachel's answer. "We're all trying to save Mike," she commented fiercely then. "Are you?" Rachel asked then, "cause if push comes to shove you'd choose Harvey over Mike, over me any time of day. And odds are he'll be questioned just as much as Mike about this."

Donna closed her mouth, breathing through her nose as she counted to ten, trying to be the bigger woman in this situation. "Rach," she whispered again, "we may have found a way to save Mike. But yes, that does mean you need to come to the firm with me." Rachel looked away swallowing as she counted her options in her head. "I don't think I can." Donna frowned, looking at the other woman with confusion, "why?"

"No doubt I'll be questioned like you were the other time and I .. I just can't." Donna swallowed, remembering the way Louis fired those questions at her. _'Do you love Harvey Specter?'_ "Besides, we're married, I can't even testify against Mike."

"Rach," Donna sighed, "no one is asking you to testify against him. I just … I just think it would be best if you know what they have planned. That you're aware of what's going to happen next, that you know we're all there for you. Especially now that," but Donna swallowed her words, still not sure on how to tell her best friend.

"Now that, what?" Rachel pushed, "now that… you know who turned Mike in?" she mumbled then. More of a statement then a question, and Donna just nodded. "I'm so sorry," Donna finished after she explained how it all happened. How the wedding itself was indeed what it all started, the invites. The ones Donna deliberately stole out of the stack on Rachel's request, to prevent the Attorney General and the Dean of Harvard Law to be invited. Neither of the women on the couch thinking about the possibility that Laura Zane would call both of them, asking why they hadn't send back their RSVP's. How that must have triggered something inside the system of Harvard; ending with Sheila Sasz finding out a file with the name 'Michael James Ross' never existed, and thus starting an investigation.

.

.

Harvey watched the redhead and the female associate walk towards the library, his feet now starting to move and his hand just managed to fall around Donna's wrist, making her turn on the spot. "You got her to come in?" he asked as he took her aside, his hand now resting on her elbow. Donna nodded, "she'd do for Mike what I did for you," she said then referring to the in house trial and the memo debacle, making Harvey close his eyes and nod.

"Harv," she whispered as she stopped him now. "What will happen if they find out we all knew?" she asked, "that you knew?" she added then. "Donna," he mumbled, "they won't," he tried to comfort her with a lie, but Donna being Donna saw right through him. "What if they do?"

"Donna, please," he mumbled holding her at her arms. "No," she continued, "cause if they do.. I…I .." "Donna," he breathed, "you'll deny. You'll stick to the plan and say you know nothing about this. I'm not letting you get mixed up this."

Donna bit her tongue, letting out a breath and nodded. "That's not what I meant," she whispered then, her eyes meeting his. "What if they make me testify against you?" she added softly, "because I can't."

"Donna," he whispered once more, seeing the fear in her eyes. "I can't.. Not like last time," she mumbled, "I don't want to, Harv-" but she couldn't finish her sentence, his lips cutting off her words. His thumbs running over her cheeks as he kissed her, pulling back and placing a kiss on her temple. "That's not going to happen, I promise," he whispered with his eyes closed, but already seeing the entire scene play out in front of him.

" _Ms. Paulsen, did Harvey Specter order you to deny you knew Michael James Ross is a fraud?"_

" _I decline to answer pursuant to my fifth amendment rights."_

" _Ms. Paulsen, did you or did you not know Michael James Ross never went to Harvard or any other law school for that matter?"_

" _I decline to answer."_

" _Ms. Paulsen, do you consider yourself good at your job?"_

" _I do."_

" _Have you ever stated to one Rachel Ross Zane that you are indeed the best legal secretary in the city?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Ms. Paulsen, did you prepare the meeting between Harvey Specter and the Harvard Law graduates in room 2005 of the Chilton Hotel?_

" _Yes, I did."_

" _Ms. Paulsen, was one Michael James Ross scheduled for a meeting with Harvey Specter?"_

" _I decline to answer."_

" _Ms. Paulsen, on the list of candidates provided by Harvard Law there was no mister Michael James Ross listed, how did he end up in a meeting with Harvey Specter?"_

" _I decline to answer."_

" _Okay. Then let me ask you this. Would you believe that the best legal secretary in town would allow a man that is not mentioned on a list provided by Harvard Law to be let into a meeting?"_

" _I decline to answer."_

" _Is it possible Michael James Ross let you to believe he was one of the candidates on the list in order to get into the appointment with Harvey Specter?"_

" _I decline to answer."_

" _And would you believe that the best legal secretary in town wouldn't ask questions when that meeting results in Harvey Specter hiring a men you believed to be on the list provided by Harvard law yet to be addressed with a name not mentioned on the list ever after that?"_

" _I decline to answer."_

" _Would you believe that same secretary would have kept her suspicions or knowledge about Mr. Ross' lack of a law degree to herself without explicit orders from her boss?"_

" _I decline to answer."_

" _Ms. Paulsen, once more did Harvey Specter order you to deny you knew Michael James Ross is a fraud?"_


	13. Chapter 13 - Verdicts

**Chapter 13: Verdict**

Mike let out a sigh as he eyed the lawyer in front of him. "Harvey, you can't," he mumbled then, "you'll ruin his career. You can't. I won't let you." Harvey shook his head, "Mike, he agreed. "I don't care," the younger man exclaimed then making Harvey push back his chair. "What the hell is wrong with you! We are all trying to safe you!"

The pup shook his head, letting himself lean back in his chair as he remained quiet now. Harvey just stared at the other man in the room, clenching his jaw until he sat down again. "We won't do that to just him. We'll do the same to me, to Louis, to Jessica even."

"Harvey," Mike spoke calmly this time, "it's not worth it. I did this." "Yes, you did," Harvey shot back slamming his hand on the table, "but so did I. We did this! But it's not just you or me, everyone can be send to jail. Donna, Rachel and everyone else. It's the only way."

"Can't we stick to the denial card?" Mike mumbled, "say I operated alone. No one knew," he suggested again. "Mike, we tried," Harvey sighed, "we did. We really did, but it's not going to play well in court. We can say Jessica didn't know, Louis, Rachel maybe. But they'll never believe I didn't know."

"And Donna?" Mike asked then, as he noticed how the older lawyer hadn't mentioned the redhead. "I'll try to keep her out of this as much as possible-" "But you're going to say you knew," Mike interrupted, causing Harvey to nod, "yes I am."

"They'd put you in front of the bar association. They could strip you of your license," Mike mumbled then, as if he needed to remind his boss of the possible consequences. "So be it, I don't care," Harvey answered. "You sure?" Mike asked again.

"Could you just stop!," Harvey exclaimed again, tired of hearing Mike fight him on this. "This is the plan, deal with it."

.

.

Rachel pressed her hands down on the blue cushions of the front row bench, holding her breath as she watched her husband walk to the stand. Donna's hands on her shoulders holding her in place, whispering an "everything will be alright." But the redhead was equally trying to keep her composure as she watched Harvey get out of one of the desk chairs in front of them. Her eyes following him every move as paced through the court room, while Mike stated his full name for the record. Confusion growing on not only both their faces, but anyone else from Pearson Specter Litt as Harvey sat down again, making way for Jessica.

Jessica let out a breath before she turned to face the younger man now sitting next to the judge. "Mr. Ross, do you have a degree from Harvard law?" being the first question she asked. Mike opened his mouth, ready to speak when the entire Lola case came to mind. "Mr. Ross?" Jessica repeated again.

"No. I do not," Mike answered then.

"Do you have a law degree from any other university Mr. Ross?" Jessica continued.

"No, I did not attend any law school," Mike answered.

"Mr. Ross, is it safe to say you never passed the bar?"

"No, I did," the blue eyed man told her.

"You never went to law school. Why take the bar?" Jessica asked, with a smile already knowing the answer.

"Someone bet me I couldn't pass the bar without going to law school. So I did, studied two months, took the test, passed the bar."

"Mr. Ross, why did you pretend to be a lawyer? Have you always wanted to pursue a career as attorney."

"Yes," Mike answered, "yes I have. Ever since my parents died in a car crash when I was eleven years old and I learned we could have gotten more compensation if we'd fought the case. And it was my dream to become a lawyer when I was in college, but mostly I just wanted to help people."

"Mr. Ross, if you really wanted to help people, why didn't you go to law school and become a real lawyer?" Jessica asked then, emphasizing the word 'real'.

"I couldn't," Mike shrugged.

"Mr. Ross, do you care to explain?" Jessica continued as she held up a piece of paper, "cause if I'm correct this is in fact an acceptance letter directed to you from Harvard Law."

"That's correct, I received an acceptance letter from Harvard Law, but my acceptance was withdrawn."

"Why was your acceptance withdrawn, Mr. Ross?

"In college a friend convinced me to sell the answers to a math test. Turned out I sold the test to the principals daughter, who then expelled me and notified Harvard, my scholarship got cancelled and I got knocked into a different life."

"Mr. Ross, did your employer Mr. Specter know you did not have a law degree before he hired you to become an associate at Pearson Hardman?" Jessica asked then, causing Donna to let out a breath; and this time it was Louis trying to calm Donna. He hadn't told her they were going to go down that route. Mike paused for a second, his eyes scanning the room and he saw the fear in Donna's. Making him swallow, but Jessica asked again, "did Harvey Specter know you did not have a law degree before hiring you?" And as soon as Mike mumbled a 'yes', a wave of 'oohs and aahs' travelled through the court room.

.

Donna buried her hands in her lap, her fingers now fidgeting with the edge of her dress as she watched Harvey take place on the stand. His eyes meeting hers for a second and he pursed his lips into a thin smile as she nodded at him. A small sign just between the two of them, just like the ritual they did about an hour ago.

"Mr. Specter," Jessica started now, "could you please explain how Mr. Ross managed to convince a Harvard educated lawyer to hire him while being aware of the lack of a law degree?"

"He told me he'd be the best lawyer I'd ever seen," Harvey recalled, a grin on his face.

"And you believed him? Just like that?" Jessica pushed.

"No," Harvey answered, "I challenged him and he beat me."

"A kid without a degree beat you and you hired him? What did you play, a game of horse?" Jessica mocked.

Harvey shook his head. "No he told me he consumed knowledge like no one I'd ever met, proceeding with saying he'd be able to quote me anything that was written in the Barbri Legal Handbook."

"So you challenged him?"

"Yes, and he beat me. He knew everything, that's when I knew he'd be better than any of those other candidates."

"Okay, " Jessica continued as she made the two man swap places again, the handbook in question in her hand. "Mr. Ross is it correct you can cite any page from this book?"

"That's correct," Mike nodded.

"Your honour," Jessica spoke to the judge, "I'd like to put my client to the test," she asked and the judge nodded, making her walk to the jury with the book in hand. She stopped in front of a middle aged woman with brown hair, placing the book in front of her. "Miss?" she asked for the name.

"Williams. Fiona Williams," the woman spoke.

"Miss Williams, could you please open the book on a page of your choosing and read any paragraph?"

The woman nodded opening the book in front of her as she scanned the page, before she spoke, "Civil liability associated with agency is based on several factors –"

"Including the deviation of the agent from his path, the reasonable inference of agency on behalf of the plaintiff and the nature of the damages themselves," Mike finished the sentence.

Jessica smiled as she saw the stunned faces of the jury, as she walked to grab the book again. "Now, anyone can study a book. But can you really do what a Harvard attorney can do, Mr. Ross," Jessica continued as she walked to the judge. "Your honour, would you mind asking him a question. Anything?"

The judge shook his head, but was actually quite impressed at the young man on his left. "Fine," he mumbled, "Mr. Ross pick a topic."

"Stock option backdating," Mike spoke.

"Although backdating options are legal, violations arise related to disclosures under IRC Section 409a."

"You forgot about the Sarbanes-Oxley," Mike interrupted the judge, causing him to shake his head and continue, "The statute of limitations renders Sarbanes-Oxley moot post 2007."

Mike let out a laugh, "Not if you can find actions to cover up the violation as established in the Sixth Circuit, May 2008."

.

"Miss Pearson," the judge continued after this example, "this has been fun and all but is there a point to be proven here?"

"Yes there is your honour," Jessica confirmed.

She walked around again stopping in front of Ms. Williams again, "putting the facts aside, do you believe Mr. Ross would make an excellent attorney?"

The woman nodded, "yes. I do believe Mr. Ross would make a great attorney."

"That's all well miss Pearson, but a licence is needed in order to practice as an attorney," Anita Gibbs interrupted then.

.

"My client is charged with 'conspiracy to commit fraud' charges, we also know that my client entered an agreement with Mr. Specter. And even though it is against the law to pretend to be a lawyer when you're not, I question if this really is a case of fraud?"

Anita Gibbs let out a laugh, "really Ms. Pearson. How is this not a case of fraud?"

"Fraud is the actual act of deceiving someone. In order to prove fraud, my clients actions must have involved the five following elements. A false statement of a material fact, knowledge on the part of the defendant that this statement is untrue. Intent on the part of the defendant to deceive the alleged victim; justifiable reliance by the alleged victim on the statement and injury to the alleged victim as a result," she cited as she paced through the room, "but did pretending to be a lawyer really result into injury to the alleged victims?"

Jessica carried the stack of papers in her hands, showing some of them. One after one she let them drop on the table behind her, until she finally mentioned the number. "189," she spoke, "Mr. Ross worked on 189 cases in the past two years and not a single one of those that are closed were lost. Your honour, could you answer the same when you were still an associate?"

"My track record is not up for discussion, Ms. Pearson. Please proceed."

The tall woman turned around again asking Harvey, Louis and even Jack Soloff the same questions when they were under oath. The amount of cases they worked on and how many they had lost; all having to answer that they hadn't won everything. Not even now as a partner of the firm.

Jessica pursed her lips together in a thin smile, "even I can't say I've won every single case in my life. But since each of us has far more years of practice, maybe it's best to compare my client with one of the other associates of Pearson Hardman at the time. I'd like to ask Mr. Harold Gunderson to take the stand."

"Mr. Gunderson, are you a Harvard alumni?"

"Yes, class of 2010," the young lawyer answered.

"Mr. Gunderson, did you work at Pearson Hardman at the time Mr. Ross joined the firm?" she asked.

"Yes, we worked in the pull pin of Pearson Hardman together."

"And how long had you been working at Pearson Hardman before Mr. Ross was hired?" she asked pointing towards Mike who was sitting next to Harvey.

"A year, Ms. Pearson."

"A year," Jessica repeated, "and on average, how many cases did you handle in your first year?"

"Uhm," the lawyer mumbled as he thought back to his time at the firm. "About seventy."

"Seventy, and how many of those cases did you lose?"

Harold swallowed. "Fifteen."

"Is it correct you once left of a zero off the Hopkins settlement, which cost the client $360.000?"

"That was supposed-"

"Did you or did you not, Mr. Gunderson?" Jessica asked again.

"I did," Harold mumbled, letting his head hang low.

"Mr. Gunderson is it also correct that you once filed a motion with the appeals court instead of the superior court, accidentally triggering a death penalty review?"

Harold shook his head, letting out a breath and wondering why he ever agreed to do this. "Yes, I did," he mumbled then.

.

Jessica proceeded with more arguments on how in the case of Michael James Ross vs. People there was no injury to the alleged victims. That in this case there was no actual intent to deceive or harm his clients. How Mr. Ross just wanted to help people in the way he knew best. How a license to practice law or a law degree isn't necessarily a guarantee for doing that, as the example with Harold Gunderson proved.

She pleaded how the results of the cases Mr. Ross worked on, whether the client was satisfied with the result of the lawsuits, should be weighed more than the fact Mr. Ross does not have a law degree. How Mr. Ross without any education had better results than any other lawyer of the same firm. She continued with her closing speech, pleading for a lowered sentence. A retribution or rehabilitation, not only for Mike, but for Harvey as well.

.

.

Jessica paced through the court room once more, her heart pounding in her chest. Especially since Harvey told her last minute to take over the case. To go down this path, to have faith in what he had planned and so she did. Even if it meant putting one of her own on the line.

Rachel just stared in the distance, the entire trial. All the arguments from both Jessica and the opposing counsel Anita Gibbs passing her by, like she was trapped inside one bad dream. A surreal dream in which she was unable to register anything that was going on. Avoiding Mike's eyes as much as possible, fearing a breakdown if she did meet his eyes.

Louis took notes during the entire trial, his own heart being torn once more as he saw the woman he once wanted to marry being on the other side of this case. And as much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't take how she had been responsible for, yes, hurting _his_ family.

Harvey just listened to the entire trial, step by step he imagined what Jessica was supposed to say and she did. He wasn't sure if it would be enough, but it was all they could have done in the short time they were given. For once he didn't know if he would win, if they would win. The fear he felt inside he saw mirrored in the eyes of Donna as he took the stand himself.

She hadn't been able to keep her eyes off of him, her hands holding onto her purse, her dress, the blue bench. Just anything to keep her concentrated. Feeling her heart drop as Jessica took that unexpected turn, and now that they were waiting, she just held his hand. Her head on his shoulder as his thumb drew circles on the back of her hand. They didn't look at the other, they didn't speak. They just waited, waited for whatever was to come, simultaneously letting out a breath as they heard the door of the courtroom open again. Indicating the jury had returned.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" the voice of the judge filled the room.

"We have your honour."

.

.

She held his hand, their fingers interlocked as he walked besides her. She just swallowed, holding her head high as her legs kept on moving. Making him follow her and his eyes only met hers every once in a while as she looked to her right. Both their eyes mirroring what they felt inside, a combination of being baffled and overwhelmed, maybe even disbelief.

But the intensity of those looks quickly decreased, making place for surprise and relief as their lips curled up, their hands holding onto the other even tighter as she closed the door behind him. Managing to turn him around, her eyes finally showing that sparkle he loved seeing that much as she kissed him. Her hands pressed against his cheeks, before she lowered them, loosening his tie.

"Donna," he mumbled, his hands holding her at her waist as he let out a sigh, his eyes taking in the room around them. A questioning look on his face. "I'm just keeping up with my promise," she whispered, her hands moving to the buttons of his dress shirt, a smile appearing on his lips as he now remembered the original conversation they had in the file room. "Donna," he whispered on her lips, "as exciting as this sounds, can we just go home, please?"

.

He moved up again, his hand pushing a strand of hair behind her ear as his lips savoured hers again. Her hips rolling against him as he slowly slid inside her. His name rolling of her tongue at the same time as he pushed again, his hands exploring every curve of her body as she still shivered at his touch, the way his fingers moved over her nipples. His lips softly sucking and biting her neck in the same rhythm as he moved inside her. How his hand moved lower, over her waist to her thighs, pulling her legs up as she wrapped them around him, feeling him entering deeper than ever before. Her nails pressing in his skin every time his movements made her arch her back. Her words, his name slowly turning into inaudible moans as he slowly increased the pace, her heart melting all over again as she recalled how he had told her he'd rather take her home and make love to her for the rest of the evening instead of a quick moment in the file room. And that was exactly what he was doing, making love to her.

Harvey lifted his lips from her collarbone, looking at her with such an affectionate smile she was sure she had never felt more loved. His eyes locked with hers, as pinned her hand above her head, their fingers interlocking more with every roll of their hips against each other. Their breaths becoming heavier and more unstable by the minute and he felt her body starting to tremble underneath him and he follows her in a state of ecstasy soon after. "I love you, Donna," he mumbled before kissing her again, his body now collapsing on top of her.

Donna just held him, as his head rest on her chest, her own lips pressed against his temple. "I was so scared," she whispered then for the first time really telling him how much this all had affected her. "Hey," he mumbled looking up to her again. "You have nothing to be scared about," he told her, "everything turned out the way it was supposed to be." But she shook her head, not really feeling that was the case. "Okay," he mumbled, "two months isn't completely cleared, but it's less then we all expected it to be. And truth to be told, the suspension and fine Jessica expects me to get isn't the worst either."

"I know," she whispered, letting her hand run over his cheek, "but what if it does turn into a trial after all? What if they go after you like Tanner did the other time," she whispered, "Harvey I…" but he kissed her again, already knowing what she was going to say. Already knowing how she felt and what he needed to do. "I'll. Make. Sure. You. Never. Have. To. Testify. Against. Me. Again," he mumbled in between kisses.

Maybe it wasn't the right moment, and maybe it was. It wasn't how she had pictured it or how he had pictured it, if the thought had ever crossed his mind. He'd always deny it, but with her it had and it did. Every single day, because with her it was different.

It most definitely wasn't a romantic proposal, and maybe to anyone else it would have been too soon. All they knew was it had been twelve years in the making and therefore not a day too early. They considered it to be exactly like them, happening in a way it wasn't supposed to go, but that didn't make their feelings or wishes any less true.

Donna just nodded and smiled. "I love you," she mumbled before kissing him again as she wrapped her arms around Harvey. Holding him close for the rest of the evening and every evening after that. Just like he promised that afternoon and how they just promised to do for the rest of their lives.

 **The END.**

* * *

 _ **Thanks everyone for reading this fic, for reviewing and everything! It's what kept me writing, but this is the end of this story. I hope you all enjoyed it.**_

 _ **And if you made it till the end, maybe it's with tears from laughter because of 'the solution' I wrote, in that case I'm happy I made you laugh. Obviously I know nothing about law or how to fix this mess they've put Mike in, but I tried my best and this is what I came up with. So if it made no sense, please pretend the wedding cake at Mike and Rachel's wedding was actually a space cake and everything that happened after our favourite characters took a bite from the cake was just a bad dream. They all woke up the following morning, nothing happened and they all lived happily ever after. LOL**_

 _ **Either way, I'd love to know what you thought or how you think they're going to fix this mess. I'm honestly curious to see how they're going to handle this on the show. So excited for suits to return!**_


End file.
